The University of Tasmania has welcomed the announcement by Minister for Defence Industry Christopher Pyne of the Naval Shipbuilding Institute, a joint venture between Kellogg Brown & Root and Huntington Ingalls Industries, as the successful tenderer to operate the Naval Shipbuilding College in Adelaide, South Australia.
The University’s Australian Maritime College (AMC) is delighted to be a strategic partner in this new national enterprise and looks forward to working closely with the Naval Shipbuilding Institute to ensure that, together, we deliver the expertise and the workforce the Australian Government’s continuous naval shipbuilding plan will require.
University of Tasmania Vice-Chancellor Professor Rufus Black said the Minister's announcement paved the way for profound benefits for the University and the region more broadly.
"There will soon be unprecedented career development opportunities in the maritime sector, particularly in the fields of maritime engineering and logistics, as a result of the Australian Government’s multi-billion dollar naval shipbuilding program," Professor Black said.
AMC’s strong defence and industry connections, coupled with its breadth of offering in maritime training, education, research and consultancy, means it is well-positioned to respond to these growing demands.
"AMC is Australia’s leading maritime research, education and training institute. Our specialist maritime engineering, global logistics and maritime management programs are world-renowned and attract a strong mix of national and international students each year.”
Professor Black said AMC's unique combination of specialist degree offerings, leading-edge infrastructure and teams of expert academic and technical staff placed the institute in good stead to support the operational needs of both the Naval Shipbuilding College and wider industry and government.
According to Paul Gregg, Chairman of the Board of AMC, the Naval Shipbuilding College (NSC) is not an additional educational institution; rather an industry-led entity, supported by the education and training sector, that will manage the necessary workforce pipeline around the nation.
"The NSC will work with education and training providers around the country to develop programs that will produce the highly skilled workers crucial to delivering on the $90 billion investment in naval shipbuilding," Mr Gregg said.
"As a strategic partner, the AMC will play a prominent supporting role, developing and delivering key maritime higher education and training programs, and as an independent representative on the NSC’s strategic governance forum."
Today's announcement builds on AMC’s proven capability and capacity to support the naval shipbuilding enterprise through such endeavours as the ARC Research Training Centre for Naval Design and Manufacturing, which has successfully addressed industry-driven research questions relevant to the ongoing design, manufacture and sustainment of the next generation of naval vessels.
It also follows the establishment of the AMC Sydney study centre at the Australian National Maritime Museum in Darling Harbour, from where a range of industry-relevant short courses and programs are being delivered.
Photo: HMAS Toowoomba, an ANZAC class frigate (Defence Image Gallery)
Published on: 04 Apr 2018
