South Metropolitan TAFE’s Rockingham campus has deployed machinery that would allow students to train on the latest equipment used to manufacture components in the defence industry.
Students in the Western Australian campus now have access to four new computer numerical control milling (CNC) and lathe machines that are currently used in the industry to create parts with cutting-edge precision and efficiency.
They will also gain hands-on experience in manufacturing components for key defence maritime trades.
The deployment was made possible through an $18 million McGowan government investment in growing the state’s defence workforce capabilities.
The McGowan government recently launched a strategy to establish a strong local defence industry workforce in the state and support the sector’s role in economic diversification and job creation.
“These new state-of-the-art CNC machines will support training in blue-collar trades needed for the maritime defence industry,” Premier Mark McGowan said.
“Providing TAFEs with modern equipment for students to train on, and prepare for a seamless transition to the workforce, is crucial to support the reskilling and upskilling of veterans, existing defence workers and new entrants to the industry,” the premier added.
The new machines are capable of producing larger quantities of parts with less manual labour without risking workers’ safety. They are also capable of reducing the time required to manufacture crucial components by up to 50 per cent.
The technology includes Mastercam software, which is intended to help address the demand for CNC programmers and machine operators in the industry.
As part of the investment, South Metropolitan TAFE will be able to deliver post-trade training in advanced CNC operations and programming above Certificate III level.
This includes the delivery of two of seven new low-fee Defence Ready Skill Sets, which are intended to help make existing workers defence-ready.
The WA government’s investment will also deliver 16 new welding simulators for South Metropolitan TAFE’s Naval Base campus.
“South Metropolitan TAFE was recognised as the nation’s leading defence industry trainer earlier this year, and its specialist training programs and links with industry are ensuring Western Australians are being trained to industry standard to take up defence job opportunities,” said Education and Training Minister Sue Ellery.
“Our strong investment in initiatives to boost WA’s defence industry workforce has generated more than 430 new apprentices for the sector in the past two years,” Ellery added.
