A Discussion Paper prepared by the Australian Government’s independent skills and workforce advisory body, Skills Australia, notes that Australian industry is capable of meeting many of the forthcoming supply needs of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The Paper was launched today by Senator the Hon Kim Carr, Minister for Defence Materiel, at the Pacific 2012 Forum in Sydney.
The Paper provides a preliminary assessment of the skills outlook for the Defence materiel supply industries, which is made up of private sector organisations contracted to the Department of Defence to provide goods or services to support Defence capability.
Over the next decade, the Australian Government is planning a substantial increase in Defence acquisitions across all services. At the same time, these industries will face significant competition for skilled labour from the resources sector and large-scale infrastructure projects including the National Broadband Network.
The Defence materiel supply industries have very specific skills needs in some areas where skills gaps will need to be addressed. However, most skills to support these industries are readily available in Australia.
Skills Australia’s initial analysis suggests that specific skills gaps may arise in electronics/electrical engineering and in some specialised software engineering skills.
The Discussion Paper argues that there is a case for Federal and State governments, industry, and the union movement to work together to develop and implement options to address these gaps. Potential areas which could be addressed include:
- Increasing the number of young people studying science, technology, engineering and mathematics at school, which will have a direct impact on the nature of their post-school studies and their potential career paths.
- Improvement of career pathways to the Defence materiel supply industries, which would also bolster the supply of skills to the industry.
The Discussion Paper is the first output of a comprehensive workforce strategy for the Australian Defence materiel supply industries, which was commissioned by the Australian Government in September 2011.
Mr Philip Bullock, Chair of Skills Australia, noted that in order to compete for Defence acquisition projects, the Australian Defence materiel supply industries will require workers with the appropriate skills and abilities. GPO Box 9880 Canberra ACT 2601 www.skillsaustralia.gov.au
Mr Bullock commented that, "The primary purpose of this Paper is to provoke discussion and debate." To assist this debate, he has invited public submissions on the Strategy by 5 April 2012. Consultations will also be held across the country in March 2012. The insights gained from these submissions and consultations will form a key input to the final Strategy, which is due in June 2012.
A background paper to this Discussion Paper and information on the public submission process can be found on the Skills Australia website at skillsaustralia.gov.au.