The Hon. Greg Combet, the Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Procurement, has recently announced that another four companies have entered Agreements under the Skilling Australia’s Defence Industry Program. 

Nova Defence, GKN Aerospace, Levett Engineering and Cablex are the most recent companies to participate, with a total of 273 new training opportunities to be realised over the next three years.

Mr Combet said: “The government remains strongly committed to supporting defence industry and that the Skilling Australia’s Defence Industry Program provides a meaningful response to their specific training needs”.

“The Australian companies, three with workforces of around 150 people and one which employs less than 30 people, all provide critical support to the defence industry supply chain and Australian Defence capability,” Mr Combet said.

“Defence firms face stiff competition for skills that are in strong demand in highly profitable sectors such as mining and energy.

“The new Agreements represent a joint commitment on the part of Defence and industry to spend almost $1.6 million in the next three years on training activities.

“Under the SADI scheme, the Commonwealth contributes to the direct costs of training which, in this instance, accounts for just under one third of the total commitment.

“The SADI initiative shares the responsibility for skills growth and development between industry and government and represents a win-win solution to both the defence of Australia and Australian defence industry,” Mr Combet said.

“There are currently 40 companies (including 15 Small to Medium Enterprises) and two universities with SADI Agreements.  These agreements commit a total of $24.4 million from program funds.” 

Many Defence companies have availed themselves of assistance offered by DMO through the SADI Program and the Industry Skilling team is now looking closely at SADI to see how its outcomes can be advanced and enhanced.

Everyone in the Industry Skilling team in DMO is excited by the ongoing success of the SADI Program.  Industry Skilling Director Robyn Wall said: “We’re very proud of how well recognised the SADI Program is, and the ability of the program to grow and develop around the ever changing needs of defence industry and Defence priorities”.

In 2007 the Joint Defence and Industry Training Task Force (JTTF) was established to address and identify a number of strategies and joint opportunities for Defence and industry to develop skills across the whole defence sector. The JTTF comprises representatives from a cross section of industry, including leading defence companies, SMEs, industry bodies, Defence and the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations.

In September 2007 a report was prepared by JTTF presenting a series of collaborative strategies and initiatives that would benefit the wider defence industry by increasing the availability of skilled labour, while taking advantage of existing synergies and economies of scale.  Key initiatives identified by the report include:

• Increasing industry access to ADF training;
• Replicating a successful school-based program focused on another defence industry sector;
• Graduate, cadet and senior management exchanges aimed at developing skills, knowledge and experience across Defence and the defence industry; and
• Developing a distinct Australian defence industry brand to raise awareness and promote employment within the industry.

Current consideration is being given as to how the SADI Program might become even more accessible to industry and there is excitement by the prospect of implementing a number of the recommendations of the JTTF. It seems timely that some integration of the two programs would achieve superior outcomes and make increasingly effective use of the SADI funding available.  There is always room for improvement.

In the meantime, Australian defence industry should continue tapping into the Government’s current assistance that is already available, as the sooner we make the investment in training, the better prepared we will be to meet the challenges in the future. 

For more information on the SADI Program, please visit the Program’s website www.defence.gov.au/dmo/id/sadi or email: IndustryDiv.SADIProgram@defence.gov.au