Six university Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) students have now been taken on by companies engaged with the Victorian Defence Industry Scholarship pilot being managed by Ai Group. The students are gaining onsite learning experiences by undertaking projects that include ensuring the quality of components in fourth generation fighter jets through to projects involving infrastructure upgrades at defence facilities across Victoria.
The Defence Science Institute is delivering a $4500 scholarship to each student and $4500 grant to each host company participating in this project which will provide the students involved with unique insights into the defence supply chain and where SMEs, who are specialists in their field, fit into some of the largest defence projects in the country.
The students will be included in the discussions surrounding the delivery of materials to a defence project, including the strict standards the Australian Defence Force and major defence supply companies exact on every component which goes into frontline military hardware and infrastructure.
John Korasidis, a Bachelor of Science (Mechatronics Major) from the University of Melbourne, will be hosted by Australian Precision Technologies undertaking work in their QA team. This placement will see John work on components for aerospace as well as marine applications.
Dylan Jarvis of Swinburne University will use his double degree in Engineering (Robotics and Mechatronics) / Computer Science (Cybersecurity) to support his host organisation, DMTC in working with factories in the defence supply chain to deliver efficiencies and drive innovation.
Malavika Jayakumar has been engaged by Integra Systems to manage taking concept components from the design stage, through a bill of materials process and into production. Malavika is a Bachelor of Engineering (Biomedical) (Honours) student at Swinburne University.
Thisuri Weerasing, who is studying a Bachelor of Science at the University of Melbourne, has been accepted by Lucid Consulting to assist in the delivery of defence facility and infrastructure projects. She will need to use computer modelling, write reports, compute calculations and undertake site visits as part of this placement.
Andrew Kogios a Bachelor of Science (Mechatronics) student at the University of Melbourne will be hosted by Mack Valves in manufacturing key pressure vessels and components for defence projects. The valves will vary depending upon needs from extraordinarily small to absolutely massive, but all require precision and highly honed design principles.
Bailey Clarisse from Swinburne University undertaking a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) – Mechanical will join Ronson Gears to work alongside the engineering team in delivering mechanical solutions based on key industry standards and client organisations’ needs.
The Centre for Education and Training team wishes these students well in their placements and hope the experiences they achieve from the Victorian Defence Industry Scholarships pilot drive their passions for STEM research and education.
