Pathways for Women Entering Defence

Defence is working to take a leading role in shaping the national STEM agenda and build a strong record of inclusion. However, women currently represent about 16 per cent of Australia’s STEM skilled workforce and while this figure is growing, more work remains to be done.

That is the message from Minister for Defence Industry Melissa Price, who said Defence’s commitment to building diversity in STEM aligns with its Workforce Strategic Vision, which encourages a systematic approach to increasing the depth and diversity of the talent pool.

“Defence needs to ensure that we access the best talent from all parts of the diverse Australian community to build the workforce,” she said.

“This is part of Defence’s efforts to strengthen our intellectual capital, building our ability to solve problems with innovative solutions.”

The Minister was announcing that eight women studying at three universities across Australia have been awarded Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) scholarships by Defence.

Defence is a major employer of people with STEM skills, with “extraordinary

opportunities” available to women as Australia grows its naval shipbuilding workforce.

“As I flagged in a new video today, I want to firmly dispel any views that defence industry is mainly for blokes,” the Minister said.

“We have a generation of jobs coming up in our sector and the opportunities for women in defence industry are fantastic.

“There are opportunities for industrious and inspiring women across many vocations in a growing number of organisations, and sectors, right across Australia.

“For women who are driven to make, to create, to learn, and to lead, the Naval Shipbuilding College can be where it all starts.”

The College is connecting skilled female candidates with shipbuilding firms and education and training providers to develop the future shipbuilding workforce.

The College has been working with industry to share stories of the work that naval shipbuilding companies are doing to build gender diversity within their companies.

“These companies are trailblazers, inspiring the next generation of women to pursue a career in naval shipbuilding,” Minister Price said.