The Defence Teaming Centre commends the Federal Government decision to invest in the ASC workforce, supporting up to 200 shipbuilders to transition into new roles and improve their skills.
“I congratulate the Federal Government on today’s announcement. ASC is a national asset and its workforce must be preserved,” said Defence Teaming Centre CEO Margot Forster.
This decision further demonstrates that the Government is taking an enterprise approach to naval shipbuilding in this country.
The rapid growth in the Defence sector over the coming decade will require Australia’s defence industry to accelerate the expansion and potential of its workforce. Ensuring we do not lose skilled shipbuilders at the end of the AWD program is critical to our success.
The Federal Government has committed to an unprecedented level of investment in Defence capability over the coming decade, $89 billion of which will develop an enduring naval shipbuilding industry for Australia.
The sheer scale of the combined naval shipbuilding programs will require a significant increase in appropriately skilled personnel for both defence industries and the defence forces, particularly in areas such as engineering, ICT and other technical skills. This represents a significant risk to the success of these critical projects.
“It seems likely that some additional 5000 personnel with the right skills and training will be required over the coming decades, split between graduate professionals and vocationally skilled workers on a ratio of 1:4. Without strategic intervention such as this, it is not clear how this requirement will be fulfilled,” said Ms Forster.
