This week the College was represented at a Defence Force Recruiting ‘Influencer Tour’ to HMAS Stirling. Stirling is the Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Base West, located at Garden Island, near Perth, WA.
St Patrick’s Technical College Business Development Manager, Mr Patrick Kelly was joined by representatives from a number of educational institutions from around Australia that are delivering programs identified by Defence Force Recruiting as having specific relevance for careers in the three arms of the Australian Defence Forces. Also from South Australia were Mr Pete Chambers representing our sister school Marcellin Technical College, Christies Beach, and senior lecturer from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at the University of Adelaide, Dr Braeden Phillips.
Day one of the two day tour included guided access through the Submarine Training & Systems Centre (STSC). This is where the majority of training is conducted for the Engineers and Technical crew of the Collins Class submarines, which are built and maintained here at ASC Osborne. The STSC features the use of simulators and actual equipment that is fitted on the submarines. These include:
- weapons handling discharge training rig
- platform training simulator
- propulsion training simulator
- part task training simulator
- propulsion control reference centre
- land-based test facility
- V18 diesel engines
- auxiliary machinery
Day two had a strong focus on trade careers in the RAN with a tour of the trade warehouse workshop and the Electronics Technician and Marine Technician work areas.
Visitors were also fortunate to be taken on guided tours of HMAS Toowoomba before it set sail for a 6-month tour of duty in the Middle East..
St Patrick’s has a strong link with employment opportunities in the Australian Defence Forces. Significant numbers of our students have been employed by defence industry employers including BAE Systems, Raytheon, Levett Engineering and the Australian Government Defence, Science & Technology Organisation (DSTO). And as had been publicised widely this year, including by their Chief Executive Officer, Mr Steve Ludlum, at the recent Australian Defence Business Magazine conference in Canberra, St Pat’s has produced a large number of apprentices for ASC working on both the Collins Class submarines and the new Air Warfare Destroyers (AWD) at Osborne.
Students should also consider that the Navy, Air Force and Army themselves are viable pathways to pursue a trade career.
Many students, upon completion of their Year 12 at St Patrick’s have already taken this opportunity and we are sure that many more will continue to do so in the years to come.
Defence Force Recruiting have already visited St Pat’s once this year with information on this pathway, however to learn more students can contact the Industry Office or their Pastoral Care teacher.
Images of the tour can be seen on our Facebook page.