Page 24 - Australian Defence Magazine October 2019

DEFENCE BUSINESS
STEM
“We need to be ready for the jobs that don’t exist yet to create the future we are building.”
Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro at the launch of the new STEM Strategic Vision.
students, parents, teachers, career advisors and workplaces at every step.
The constant education campaign aimed at all these players about opportuni- ties in the STEM ecosystem is paramount if the wider Australian economy, not just the Defence community, is to have access to STEM qualified people.
STEM Strategic Vision
ADM’s STEM Summit came the day after Chief Defence Scientist Professor Tanya Monro launched Defence’s STEM Work- force Strategic Vision 2019-2030.
Professor Monro said Defence is expanding its STEM cadetship program from 50 interns to 200 cadets within this year, across the whole organisation, not just DST.
This creates new opportunities for students to start developing exciting de- fence careers even before finishing their studies. The program aims to engage with university students in relevant fields in their second and third year of study, giving them an experience of what real world STEM careers can look like in a Defence context.
DST scientists Dr Olivia Samardzic and Dr Robert Hunjet spoke about their areas of expertise and journeys from school, to uni- versity, to research roles and then to DST.
From lasers to AI/swarming, the two ambassadors engaged with the dozens of high school students in the room about where science can take you and what inspired them to work in the field.
They both showed their passion about their work but also in sharing their own career journeys demonstrated how careers are not a straight line, but a function of branching out and reaching for opportuni- ties as they become available.
“We don’t have enough Australian stu- dents taking STEM subjects, and of those few, we need to encourage more female and indigenous students,” Prof Monro said at the launch.
“We need to be ready for the jobs that don’t exist yet to create the future we are building. This pathway needs to be easy for students and their support network of parents, teachers and careers advisors to access and understand.”
With this in mind, a Defence STEM website portal is also under development that can act as a ‘front door’ to STEM careers in defence across the board.
“We’ll only do it if we deliver it togeth- er,” Prof Monro concluded.
to a career in the field. Janowski brought program alumni Summer Till, now in her first year of university studying to become a naval architect, on-stage. The various programs offered by STEM Fast Track are not just about STEM skills and how they are applied in the real world but also how function as an adult in the workplace and indeed, the wider community. From public speaking and networking skills to how to read develop and apply budgeting skills, STEM Fast Track is about creating a whole STEM enabled worker.
“The networking in STEM Sista was re- ally new to me,” Till said. “I didn’t know a lot about STEM, but meeting people was really impactful.”
Another successful case study from RDA Hunter and Lockheed Martin sees university students in regional areas being able to access world leading experts and facilities in Australia.
The Altitude Accord program (see the
September edition of ADM for more on this program) is a great example of a uni- versity, regional development body and industry working towards inspiring and retaining students that have an interest in Defence but are perhaps unsure of what a career path can look like.
ADF UAS ‘cheerleader’ Lieutenant Colonel Keirin Joyce also gave the audi- ence an overview of everything Army is doing in this space, with his drone racing team on hand to demonstrate some of the drones currently flown by the Army Drone Racing Team and others.
“Being a pilot these days isn’t about Top Gun and guys in flight suits,” LTCOL Joyce said. “I can make someone a pilot for $300. Now that’s rad.”
The day also saw a number of speakers look at the different parts of the STEM engagement pipeline from primary school, high school, university and the VET sector with the importance of engaging
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