BAE Systems Australia and ASC have signed on as employment partners at The Heights Technical College as the first cohort of Technical College students begin their careers.

The announcement comes after the successful partnership with the defence employers, with the first students from the state’s first modern technical college at Findon officially beginning their careers with BAE Systems Australia at the Osborne Naval Shipyard.

The four Findon Technical College students were among an intake of new apprentices to sign on as the next generation of shipbuilders at BAE, who were welcomed at a presentation ceremony on Tuesday 29 April.

Findon Technical College is the first of five technical colleges to be built across metropolitan and regional South Australia in a State Government investment of $208.8 million.

The colleges support students in years 10 to 12 to complete their SACE while undertaking vocational education and training (VET) in specialist state-of-the-art facilities.

Port Augusta Technical College will open in mid-2025, with Tonsley, The Heights, and Mount Gambier to follow in 2026.

The decision of BAE Systems Australia and ASC to sign on as employer partners for The Heights Technical College will support further apprenticeships to deliver major defence projects in South Australia. ASC is also an employer partner with Tonsley Technical College.

BAE Systems Australia Chief People Officer Angela Wiggins said, this is a world-class example of industry, the education sector and government working together for the benefit of Australia.

“Apprentices working across the Hunter program are part of the major recruitment campaign underway to build the workforce at Osborne to a peak of more than 2500 employees”.

“The Hunter program is building some of the world’s most advanced anti-submarine warfare frigates which is establishing the foundation for continuous naval shipbuilding for the nation and delivering thousands of highly skilled jobs into our economy”, Ms Wiggins said.

The training programs at the technical colleges are shaped by employer partners and will enable students to complete year 12 alongside the first year of their apprenticeship.

Read more about Technical Colleges or express your interest via the Technical Colleges website.