Congratulations to the 2024-25 cohort of the Australian Industry Group Defence Industry Connection Program (DICP)!

Since its inception in November last year, 75 students have been placed with 19 host employers including BAE Systems, Nova Systems, REDARC, Neumann Space, SAGE Automation and Supashock Advanced Technologies; with 30 having successfully concluded their placement within the defence industry.

Last week, Australian Industry Group’s Head of South Australia, Estha van der Linden, hosted a graduation ceremony for these high-achieving students. Estha and the DICP Project Officers welcomed more than 80 guests including students, defence organisation representatives, government officials and university stakeholders.

“We were proud to celebrate their achievements and congratulate them on the successful completion of their scholarships,” Estha said.

South Australia’s Industry, Innovation and Science Minister, Joe Szakacs — who delivered the keynote address said it was vital to cultivate a skilled talent pipeline to support the state’s long-term defence workforce needs. He hailed the program stating, “With the state needing more than 11,000 skilled defence industry workers by the 2040s, programs like this are crucial to ensuring we meet that demand”

Flinders University’s Senior Deputy Vice Chancellor, Professor Romy Lawson congratulated the students and highlighted the various programs run by the University to create valuable learning opportunities for students keen on pursuing a career in defence.

Various guest speakers including industry representative and current and former interns shared their experiences with the program. 

The program is funded by Government of South Australia and delivered by
Australian Industry Group.

The graduation ceremony was held at Flinders University with the support of AustralianSuper.