Australia’s Naval Shipbuilding College officially opened this week, and will provide a coordinated approach to workforce development and training across the industry.
Located at Obsborne in South Australia, the College is being managed on behalf of the Australian Government by the Naval Shipbuilding Institute (NSI) Australia – a joint venture between Kellogg Brown and Root (KBR) and Huntington Ingalls Industries, the largest shipbuilding company in the US.
The College will operate under the management of the Naval Shipbuilding Institute to link up with education providers to ensure courses in shipbuilding are offered across Australia. Partnerships will be developed with industry, universities, TAFEs and training institutions in all states and territories.
The College was formally opened by defence minister Christopher Pyne on Thursday.
“Today is an exciting day for the future of shipbuilding in this country,” Pyne said.
“The College is a critical enabler of the continuous naval shipbuilding program which will build and sustain Australia’s naval capabilities, create economic growth and secure Australian jobs for decades to come.”
The naval shipbuilding workforce register was also launched alongside the opening of the college. The register is to enable Australians interested in long-term shipbuilding career opportunities to express their interest and receive assistance through their training and employment processes.
“The workforce register will help connect people with potential employers or education providers,” Pyne said.
“I encourage anyone interested in working on some of the most technologically advanced, cutting edge projects anywhere in the world to register.”
The federal government released its Naval Shipbuilding Plan in May 2017, which outlined a long-term vision to establish a sovereign capability in naval shipbuilding.
The government is investing $90 billion into the continuous shipbuilding program, which is expected to create more than 5,000 shipbuilding jobs within 10 years and more jobs in sustainment and in the supply chain.
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