CANBERRA (London Post with AAP)By Dr. Majid Khan –Australia needs to increase skills training and transform tertiary education to create the jobs needed to build, maintain and operate nuclear submarines.
The US-UK Submarine Agreement is expected to create around 20,000 jobs for Australian workers over the next 30 years.
National security expert John Blaxland said the higher education sector is critical to implementation.
“This is a big challenge,” he said of the hiring requirements.
“Our university department has spent the past 18 months thinking deeply about how to create nuclear physicists, nuclear scientists and nuclear engineers from scratch. “It’s big. It also requires cooperation and cooperation between states and territories.”
At its peak, up to 8,500 Australian jobs will be supported to build and maintain the boats, including scientists, engineers, project managers and other craftsmen.
Secretary of Defense Richard Marls said it was a large undertaking and an investment that Australians could not afford to miss.
“Australia will give us more confidence, both for our children and our grandchildren. This will keep Australia safer in the long run,” he said. “The cost will be significant, but this is our investment in security.”
His Chennupati Jagadish from the Australian Academy of Sciences has warned that the country is overly dependent on foreign workers.
“Australia’s nuclear science is facing a skills crisis. We are well behind other countries in terms of national competence in nuclear and radiation science,” he said.
Marrez believes the university sector can rise to the challenge.
The Secretary of Defense said he was “confident he could have the submarine crewed and built.” Universities Australia Chief Executive Catriona Jackson discussed with the government how the industry can best support industry needs.
“One way to do that is by encouraging internships and work-integrated learning opportunities for students studying in national and international defense-required fields,” she told AAP. .
Opposition defense spokesman Andrew Hasty said the project would provide opportunities for generations of Australians.
“It will require leadership from the defense itself, the private sector, the education sector and industry, and we must all work together to achieve this,” he said.
“That’s not wrong.”
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak are set to announce the “optimal path” for submarines under the AUKUS partnership on Tuesday in San Diego, Calif. Australia plans to buy up to five US Virginia-class submarines before acquiring new ships of British design and US technology.
The submarine price she could be $200 billion.
