Pictured above: Recent graduates of the South Australian Defence Industry Scholarship Program at AML3D at its Adelaide Technology Facility, Edinburgh.
Also pictured: (Left: AML3D CEO Ryan Millar & Defence SA Executive Director Defence and Space, Reg Carruthers; Right: Ai Group SA Head, Jodie van Deventer, & Lee Odenwalder MP)
With the March 14 announcement of 20,000 new jobs to be created over the next 30 years through the AUKUS partnership, graduates from South Australia’s Defence Industry Scholarship Program will have guaranteed work in the defence industry for decades to come.
The day after the AUKUS announcement, thirty-six graduates of the program were recognised by the South Australian government for their endeavours as undergraduate or honours university students undertaking research and project work in the state’s defence industry.
Hosted by leading additive manufacturing company and program host company, AML3D, alumni gathered to be recognised by their peers and the South Australian Government’s Lee Odenwalder MP, representing the Deputy Premier and Minister for Defence and Space Industries of South Australia, Susan Close MP, together with Ai Group’s Head of SA, Jodie van Deventer, Defence SA’s Executive Director Defence and Space, Reg Carruthers, and AML3D CEO, Ryan Millar.
Delivered by Defence SA and Ai Group, the scholarship program is creating vocational and career pathways for the next generation of high skilled talent into South Australia’s defence industry.
Hosted across seventeen defence industry companies in South Australia, including Defence Primes, around 65 higher education students completing science, technology, engineering, maths, and business degrees have made lasting contributions to South Australia’s defence industry capabilities and high skilled workforce, many of them moving into defence industry roles following their internships as part of the scholarship program.
Eligible domestic undergraduate students placed in the program can receive up to $10,000 in scholarship payments when recruited into an unpaid internship with an eligible company in South Australia’s defence industry or defence supply-chain. Small- and medium-sized companies can receive $2,500 to $4,500 for each student they place in their company.
Students from South Australia’s Flinders University, University of Adelaide, and UniSA can develop and enhance their technical and ‘human’ skills, turning theoretical knowledge into practical, hard knowledge while in their usually semester-long placement. These internships can and do lead to employment opportunities for the student with their host company, and companies benefit from a return on investment in the skills and knowledge development of interns.
If you would like more information about the South Australian Defence Industry Scholarship Program, please email Patricia Zoltan, Project Officer, Ai Group Centre for Education or visit defencescholarships.aigroup.com.au.
Ai Group also delivers the Victorian Defence Industry Scholarship for the Defence Science Institute and DMTC. If you would like more information about this program, please contact Andrew Elsbury, Project Officer, Ai Group Centre for Education and Training or visit victoriandefencescholarships.aigroup.com.au
Paolo contributes to the Ai Group Centre for Education & Training's policies and is a member on a number of national and state secondary and tertiary education industry advisory bodies. Paolo project manages state government-funded projects centred on education-industry partnerships in the defence industry. He also administers the CET’s Member Network.
