The AUKUS alliance is estimated to create 20,000 jobs over the next 30 years and represents a new challenge and great opportunity for Australian engineers.
This week, the Australian government announced the development of a fleet of eight nuclear-powered submarines as part of the AUKUS partnership. But what does this mean for Australia’s engineers?
Engineers Australia’s Chief Engineer, Jane MacMaster FIEAust CPEng, spoke to create about the need to build a workforce to support this program, but also to take full advantage of sections of the Australian workforce currently underutilised.
“Currently, more than half of the engineering workforce in Australia was born overseas and despite our long-term reliance on skilled migrant engineers, many still find it difficult to find engineering work here,” says MacMaster. “So It will be important for the Australian Government to work with Engineers Australia and industry to improve employment outcomes for skilled migrant engineers.”
“Some migrant engineers may not have the appropriate security clearances to work on some Defence programs, but, by facilitating more skilled migrant engineers working in the engineering workforce in other sectors, this will increase the pool of engineers available to work on Defence programs,” she said.
Planning ahead
MacMaster said Engineers Australia has been in conversation with the Nuclear-powered Submarine Taskforce to assist with workforce development planning.
“We have also been in contact with several UK nuclear engineering organisations to understand the systems they have in place to develop their nuclear engineering workforce and the competency frameworks and training they use to build and maintain that capability,” she said.
“Engineers Australia is already exploring the possible development of a nuclear engineering Area of Practice to support this area of engineering through competency frameworks specific to this field and assessment of individual competencies against these criteria (for the Chartered Engineer credential). We can also work with the Australian Government and education institutions to accredit nuclear engineering qualifications and/or micro-credentials and specialisations.”
Overall, MacMaster said the AUKUS announcement allows the workforce planning and development work, which commenced 18 months ago, to be developed with more granularity and confidence.
“While we don’t yet have the workforce capability, with some targeted strategies, there is no reason why Australia couldn’t have the workforce required in the years to come, but it will take sustained focus from here on to ensure that this happens,” she said, pointing to the 1935 Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation which built local military aircraft manufacturing capability, and the 1950s and 60s Snowy Hydro Scheme workforce development as examples of previous success.
That conning tower looks like it might be designed for Murmansk
Ironic, totally contradicts the presentation by Navy Captain at Engineers Seminar that stated that Nuclear Submarines that do 60KPH are not a defensive weapon for a coastline of 27,000+Km and are designed to sit on Chinas doorstep and threaten China like the Australian Government is told to do by USA. Even Australia doing war games in South China Sea is threatening and US warships going through Straights of Taiwan is like China putting war ships through Bass Straight. AUKUS is a ploy by USA to fund their arms industry by pushing China paranoia and supporting their arms industry and world hegemony agenda. EA association with this is not in the interest of Australians.
IEAust needs to step up to media and say we can do it. Morning news programs.
First up RN Breakfast Patricia Karvelos.
Most of the naysayers are media commentators who have no experience in the field and want to become relevant.
TF Jervis Bay
There are many great challenges and great opportunities ahead for the Australian engineering industry. The development of nuclear stewardship program in partnership with the USA and the UK will help provide the foundation for the imminently needed framework for training and competency requirements for engineers in Australia.
Regarding paragraph 4 in the above article, both Australian engineers and skilled migrant engineers would be required to achieve necessary security clearances. The exposure of skilled migrant engineers to a highly competitive market place outside of Australia, which may include engineers from both the USA and the UK defence industries, would position them to be very attractive candidates to many of the Australian industry leaders, who wish to engage in the evolving Royal Australian Navy’s nuclear program. Perhaps the inference in the article that skilled-migrant engineers may be relegated to opportunities that don’t include the Australian nuclear submarine program may be self-limiting to the magnitude of what this program needs in order for it to be stood up.
Justin Waples
P.E. (CA, TX), CPEng, IntPE (Aus), APEC Engineer, ENV SP, PMP, M.ASCE, M.IAM, MIEAust
(veteran Australian Submariner and Charted Engineer working in the USA)
The estimate of 20,000 jobs over the next 30 years is a collective estimate for all three countries involved in the alliance, including the USA, UK, and Australia. The media reports that the AUKUS deal will create 4,000 jobs to design and build a new construction yard in SA. It says another 4,000 to 5,500 workers will be needed to build nuclear-powered SSN AUKUS subs.