The Defence Industry Skilling and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths (STEM) Strategy outlines how the Australian Government is supporting Australia's defence industry in meeting the workforce skills requirements.
Targeted and collaborative action is needed to increase the volume of people joining the sector and to retain talent to ensure we can deliver Defence’s capability requirements. This involves encouraging investment in skills, addressing skills gaps, improving the productivity of existing workforces and reducing the administrative burden for businesses working with Defence, especially small and medium businesses.
Key areas of focus
Defence has identified four key areas of focus, which will enhance collaboration with industry and support the development and sustainment of the workforce of the future:
- Engage: Improving access to information about defence industry career opportunities and support for the national effort to improve the take up of STEM studies and careers.
- Attract: Supporting defence industry businesses to grow and attract a national defence industry workforce with the required skills.
- Train and Retain: Encouraging investment in skills and provide support to defence industry businesses to train and sustain a national defence industry workforce.
- Collaborate: Facilitating stakeholder collaboration and coordination to improve understanding of future workforce needs at the sectoral level and enable faster responses from key stakeholders.
The Defence Industry Skilling and STEM Strategy aligns with the policy settings outlined in the Defence Industry Development Strategy to grow the workforce required to deliver defence industrial capability. It also supports the development of the capable, innovative, resilient and competitive defence industrial base needed for Defence.