The South Australian Government has reached a landmark agreement with British defence giant Rolls-Royce to collaborate on workforce development, skills training, and critical technologies to support the state’s defence sector.
Premier, Peter Malinauskas today signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Rolls-Royce at the Defence and Security Equipment International trade exhibition in London.
The Premier says the MOU marks a significant step forward in South Australia’s preparations for the AUKUS submarine program, which will provide Australia with their first conventionally armed nuclear navy.
It also highlights the unique nuclear expertise Rolls-Royce brings to the AUKUS agreement, he said.
“South Australia is at the forefront of the nation’s defence industry, but we need to keep growing the skills and capabilities required to meet future defence needs.”
“AUKUS presents a once-in-a-generation opportunity for our state. This MoU will help us build the workforce and industry capability needed to deliver on that opportunity.
“We are already seeing strong outcomes from existing agreements between the South Australian Government, our universities and businesses with counterparts from AUKUS nations – including supplier uplift and knowledge exchange programs.
“A skilled workforce is crucial to continuing our state’s leading role in defence project delivery to meet the nation’s growing security challenges, and this work has begun in earnest,” said Premier, Peter Malinauskas.
Under the agreement, the South Australian Government and Rolls-Royce will co-design and implement initiatives to build a diverse and highly skilled workforce, with a particular focus on strengthening the STEM pipeline and addressing critical skills gaps for current and future defence projects.
“South Australia is proud to play a leading role in delivering on the AUKUS partnership,” said Defence Minister, Stephen Mullighan.
“We’re focused on building the world-class infrastructure, developing a highly skilled sovereign workforce and supporting a capable, innovative industry that can meet the demands of this transformative national endeavour.
“This MOU with global defence leader Rolls-Royce is another important milestone to strengthening our workforce pipeline.”
The MoU builds on previous engagement, including Rolls-Royce’s visit to Adelaide in 2024 and the company’s announcement to double the size of its Derby site to support the AUKUS program.
“We are incredibly proud to play our part in the development of the next generation of attack submarines for the Royal Navy, and equally proud to be supporting Australia in their mission to introduce nuclear powered submarines to their fleet,” said Rolls-Royce Submarines President, Steve Carlier.
“Nuclear submarines bring unsurpassed endurance, range, stealth, power and reliability that still provides the absolute pinnacle of military advantage.
“This MOU allows us to leverage our decades of experience to help South Australia develop a talented workforce and inspire the next generation of Australian nuclear engineers.”
The Premier visited the Rolls-Royce Nuclear Skills Academy in Derby, which takes on up to 200 apprentices each year, enabling a pipeline of talent at the start of their careers in support of the Royal Navy Submarines programme.
