Defense Business May-July 2018 Issue

28 June/July 2018 Defence Business
Focus On the Future Workforce
By Richard Price, Chief Executive Defence SA
When considering building a sustainable defence industry, there are three
essential ingredients to success: opportunity, capacity and capability.
The Australian Government has identified the opportunity through the Defence
White Paper and Defence Integrated Investment Plan and for the first time we have a
continuous naval shipbuilding program in place.
It has also demonstrated its commitment to creating export opportunities for
local industry, as detailed in the Defence Export Strategy.
South Australia will continue to be a strong participant in the Team Defence
Australia mission program and we have some real potential to grow our defence export
output in coming years.
The recently released Defence Industrial Capability Plan provides clarity about the
nation’s ten sovereign capability priorities, although it is important to understand these
are capability driven.
Business decisions should consider the broader context of maximising Australian
industry participation wherever possible.
These policy platforms should provide business with confidence that growing the
defence industry is a genuine priority for Australia.
PRIORITIES
In South Australia, we turn our attention to ensuring that we have the other
two pieces of the puzzle in place: capacity and capability. The South Australian
Government’s Defence Strategy identifies four key priority areas in: Shipbuilding,
Cyber and Systems, Space and Defence Science and Research. These are the areas
which have the potential to create the most opportunities for the state and contribute
to the national defence agenda. We have natural strengths across these areas, while
the Defence White Paper and Integrated Investment Plan also identify significant
growth opportunities across these key sectors. Our success in these areas must be
underpinned by a strong and capable workforce and this is now where we must focus
much of our efforts.
SA INITIATIVES
We need to ensure that the defence industry has the workforce it needs when it
needs it. The SA Government is supporting this through the development of a Defence
Workforce Plan and specific initiatives, including the funding of 1,200 apprenticeships
over a four-year period, a defence industry employment program for veterans and the
establishment of a new technical college in Adelaide’s western suburbs. Defence SA
is leading the state’s whole of government strategy for developing the future defence
industry workforce. A cross-functional working group is being established including the
Defence Teaming Centre, representing industry, along with other key state government
departments including industry and skills, education and veteran’s affairs.
Defence SA will also have a key role in working closely with the Defence
Teaming Centre to promote opportunities in the defence sector to ex-service personnel.
These programs are geared towards major shipbuilding programs, however, the
defence industry workforce is not just about shipbuilding. Cybersecurity, space and
intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and electronic warfare projects will provide
opportunities for workers transitioning from other sectors and generate future jobs for
young South Australians.
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HIGH-TECH FOCUS TO BUILD CAPABILITIES AND MAXIMISE GLOBAL
OPPORTUNITY
With the South Australian node of the Australian Cyber Security Growth
Network and the Joint Cyber Security Centre in the Adelaide CBD, opportunities in
cyber are increasing rapidly. Similarly, new Defence platforms at Edinburgh require
sophisticated data analysis, and we must also look to maximise opportunities in
artificial intelligence and machine learning. The space industry has natural synergies
with defence in terms of technology and workforce skills, as both require high
reliability, environmentally robust electronics, specialised communications, sensors and
data analysis. SA must remain at the forefront of defence technology to secure new
opportunities, which is why research and development is a key focus. The Defence
Innovation Partnership has been established to create research collaborations between
defence, industry and South Australian universities with support from the Defence
Science and Technology Group. Research and development also builds industrial
capability and world-leading research attracts global companies. South Australia
is already home to leading researchers in photonics, machine learning and space
technologies and this is certainly an area we can continue to grow.
A NEW ERA AND A BRIGHT FUTURE
There is no doubt that South Australia’s defence industry is entering a new
era, built upon a foundation of opportunities in naval shipbuilding, and supported by
other high-tech sectors including cyber, space, ISREW and research and development.
If we build our defence industry workforce and create the capacity and capability to
support these industries, we will hold ourselves in good stead for a bright future and a
sustainable defence industry that is globally competitive.