Up to 300 South Australian university students will have the opportunity to gain vital work experience and make industry connections through a program designed to help build a defence industry workforce.
Delivered by the Australian Industry Group (Ai Group), the South Australian Government’s $3.9 million Defence Industry Connection Program is now open for registrations.
“This is an exciting opportunity for university students finishing their STEM degrees to make connections with defence enterprises – setting themselves up for a rewarding, globally relevant career here in South Australia,” said Susan Close MP.
“Generating a skilled workforce is one of the most critical aspects to the success of delivering current and future major defence projects in South Australia.”
Eligible university students must be enrolled in defence industry-relevant science, engineering, maths and other degrees, to undertake internships within businesses operating in the defence supply chain.
The four-year program aims to increase the employability of students to meet critical defence industry workforce needs, by connecting them with industry for placements, mentoring and engagement during and after the program.
This program will provide interns with a scholarship, reducing the financial barriers students may experience undertaking work placements and gaining practical and professional experience while studying.
A key part of the program is to provide the opportunity to students from underrepresented groups, including First Nations people, women, people with disability and culturally and linguistically diverse communities.
A previous iteration of the program, the Defence Industry Scholarship Program, had a high success rate with around 80 per cent of students going on to full-time or part-time employment with their host employer.
For more information, go to (external site)https://statedevelopment.sa.gov.au/defence-industry(external site)
