Representatives from one of the nation’s chief defence players have addressed University of Tasmania students, encouraging them to join Australia’s “next generation” of defence industry workers.
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The event took place at UTAS’s Sandy Bay campus on Thursday, with some students from the Australian Maritime College making the trip South especially to hear what BAE Systems had to say.
AMC Professor Jon Binns recently said that at least 5000 additional skilled engineers, scientists, naval architects, specialists and tradespeople were required by 2026, so as to ensure that the country’s looming major defence projects were completed.
The Future Frigate and Future Submarine programs will need skilled workers to support, modify and tailor new warships and submarines.
BAE surface combatant business development manager Peter Osbourne was one of the speakers at UTAS.
Mr Osbourne said BAE was addressing UTAS students because the country had a “major challenge” ahead of it in terms of making the most of its big defence projects.
At other talks the company has done at mainland universities, science, technology, engineering and mathematics students have shown interest in the work BAE has been doing, Mr Osbourne said.
He told UTAS STEM students they were “the future of Australian engineering and innovation”.
“It’s more important now that at any time in our history, that we cultivate close relationships with the next generations of talent who will soon be entering the workforce,” Mr Osbourne said.
“The scale of what’s happening in defence now is unprecedented.
“This is where you come in.”