Saab Australia (Saab) has signed up as the newest industry partner to an Australia-first initiative, blending university study with practical workplace training to support South Australia’s growing defence sector.
Feedback from BAE, ASC and Consunet since the program’s launch in April 2024 has been “exceptional,” according to program director Dr Jo Zucco.
“We meet with industry mentors every three months to check in and see how the apprentices are tracking in their workplace,” Dr Zucco said.
“From all reports, they are bringing fresh energy to the teams they are placed in and are involved in meaningful work, completing tasks that have been on the organisations’ ‘to-do lists’ for months.”
“From the apprentices’ perspective, they benefit from directly applying what they are learning in the classroom to their workplace. They are performing exceptionally well academically, demonstrating the immense value of the apprenticeship model.”
The Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship, launched by the University of South Australia, the State Government and industry in 2024, will continue in 2026 under Adelaide University, when UniSA merges with the University of Adelaide.
Saab Australia Managing Director Andy Keough said that employing Bachelor of Software Engineering students through an apprenticeship is “the next step to strengthen the skills pipeline for defence projects in South Australia.”
“By bringing young people into the workforce through the Software Engineering Degree Apprenticeship program we can fast-track their development and assist them to undertake more challenging work earlier in their careers.
“Saab Australia provides sovereign capabilities to the Australian Defence Force that are built on the strength of our employees. With over 35 years’ experience delivering Combat Management Systems and other high-tech capabilities, our new apprentices will be building on the cutting-edge defence technology that has been developed and integrated by our Australian team to provide world leading defence capabilities.”
Saab has joined three other Adelaide defence employers – BAE Systems, submarine company ASC, and electronic warfare specialists Consunet – to onboard first year software engineering students as full-time apprentices over five years.
The ‘earning and learning fusion’ is informed by the software degree apprenticeship system in the UK, where BAE systems train students at the Barrow-in-Furness submarine shipyard.