Naval shipbuilding industry to tap into skills of workers displaced by COVID-19

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The Hon Melissa Price MP

Minister for Defence Industry

Minister for Science and Technology


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Kathy Quinn (Minister Price): +61 468 369 301

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9 April 2020

The Morrison Government’s unprecedented $90 billion Naval Shipbuilding Enterprise could provide a jobs’ lifeline for hundreds of skilled workers impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, as work begins on moving skills training online.

Minister for Defence Industry, the Hon Melissa Price MP, said the Naval Shipbuilding College – which was set up by the Federal Government in 2018 to drive the growth of Australia’s shipbuilding industry – had moved quickly in response to the pandemic.

“Ensuring our naval shipbuilding industry continues to get the skills and support they need to help them to grow even during this time of economic uncertainty is crucial to the success of our continuous naval shipbuilding plan,” Minister Price said.

“The Naval Shipbuilding College is taking a proactive approach to engaging with organisations from the manufacturing, airline, mining, tourism and hospitality industries to identify opportunities to transfer their skills to the shipbuilding industry.

“The College is also undertaking virtual outreach activities to attract a future workforce and support small businesses through webinars and the development of a jobs portal.”

CEO of the Naval Shipbuilding College, Mr Ian Irving, said a virtual suite of training courses would include an ‘Introduction to Shipbuilding’ and short courses focused on priority roles in shipbuilding.

“Primes and their supply chain partners are still hiring and require a skilled workforce to achieve success,” Mr Irving said.

“By offering virtual courses we can help people become job-ready for the shipbuilding industry, which allows organisations to continue with their recruitment and delivery of critical program milestones for the Enterprise.”

The Workforce Register is the first port of call for Australians wanting to secure an exciting career within Australia’s naval shipbuilding industry.

Opportunities currently exist for designers and drafters, project managers, schedulers, quality, ILS and engineers. Many more roles will come online over the coming four years.

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