ASC today welcomed six new apprentices and five new engineering graduates to work on its submarine programs in South Australia, joining the 1,200-strong workforce of Australia’s leading submarine platform and maritime services company.
Welcoming the young men and women in a ceremony at ASC’s deep maintenance operations in the Osborne Naval Shipyard, South Australia, ASC Chief Executive Officer Stuart Whiley said they could look forward to long and professionally challenging careers with ASC.
“ASC is Australia’s leading submarine platform company, after 30 years of building and sustaining our operational submarine fleet – the Collins Class,” he said.
“In coming years our people will have exciting opportunities to work on the Collins Fleet, ensuring it continues to serve the nation into the 2030s, as well as supporting the Attack Class future submarine program.”
Today’s event also marked the graduation of seven apprentices and the end of the two-year introductory program for nine graduate engineers at Osborne.
Each year ASC selects apprentices from a highly competitive field and progresses almost all of them to graduation over four years, after which they are employed in full time permanent positions across mechanical, electrical and fabrication (welding) disciplines.
“Our graduating apprentices are now fully fledged trades people who have succeeded in one of the most challenging trade training environment in Australian industry. They are now qualified to work on the most complex vessels ever produced in Australia – Collins Class submarines,” said Mr Whiley.
ASC’s graduate engineering program exposed newly qualified engineers to all aspects of ASC’s submarine work, gaining experience in systems upgrades, sustainment, planning, submarine design, enhancement and life-of-type-extension, among other areas.
“ASC is the design authority for the Collins Class fleet, requiring an extremely high level of expertise and experience from our engineers. ASC actively fosters the careers of its several hundred engineers and our graduate program is only the start of that process,” said Mr Whiley.
