Page 42 - Australian Defence Magazine April 2020

42 SEA POWER
WORKFORCE
APRIL 2020 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
from Australia, for its Hunter-class frig- ate program, transferring skilled resources from programs completed by its owner BAE Systems, and partnering with other defence companies to deliver the design and proto- typing capability, says Human Resources Director Matthew Double.
Medium-term the company has 100 knowl-
edge transfer assignments to the UK and
within Australia to gain critical experience in
the UK on the Type 26 reference ship, as well
as defining capability hubs in cities other
than Adelaide where the large number of critical skills may not be available. Williamstown will be a key hub.
Longer term the company will grow capability through its early career programs as well as providing professional development for recent starters.
The demand in the sector for operational personnel is ex- pected to accelerate around 2025, providing time to gener- ate bulk trades skills through the training system although some corporate initiatives are already in place.
LEFT: The shipbuilding effort over the coming decades will require a wide range of skilled people to deliver.
The first three submarine appren- tices for the Future Submarine pro- gram joined NGA recently following a competitive recruitment process involving more than 400 candidates.
After completing a four-year fab- rication program with ASC working on the Collins-class they will trans- fer back to NGA and form part of the core Attack-class hull section qualifi- cation team.
The first 18 apprentices recruited by ASC Shipbuilding for the Hunter-class program will start work in June, and 25 graduates have already joined the company in a variety of disciplines.
SECONDMENTS
In a new initiative, the naval shipbuilding primes and NSC are now looking to develop and implement training secondments for SMEs into primes to enable industry to take new skills, experience and knowledge back
into their environments, creating a new eco-system of skills development.
The primes are also considering the steps they can take as an enterprise to establish a naval shipbuilding graduate scheme.
“This would not only encompass the primes but also SMEs within our supply chains as they play an integral role in sup- porting prime contractors by designing, manufacturing and assembling components,” disclosed NGA CEO John Davis. ■
“THE PRIMES ARE ALSO CONSIDERING THE STEPS THEY CAN TAKE AS AN ENTERPRISE TO ESTABLISH A NAVAL SHIPBUILDING GRADUATE SCHEME.”
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