New grant will provide funding to undertake various defence skills training activities

The Skilling Australia’s Defence Industry (SADI) grant program is now available to fund defence skills training and supervision activities. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $500,000 are available for up to 100% of eligible project costs.

The grant program is a key initiative of the Defence Industry Skilling and STEM strategy launched in February 2019.

The grant program provides $39 million over three years, with $10 million of the total funding allocated to Naval shipbuilding related skills training, to support Australian SMEs and aims to:

• reduce barriers faced by SMEs in the defence industry when upskilling or retraining staff
• develop skills within SMEs in the defence sector
• support SMEs in the defence industry to establish human resources practices and training plans that will build lifelong learning activities into their business

Activities must directly relate to a project that is aimed at increasing defence related skills, capacity or capability required to meet current or future Defence capability needs.

Eligible activities include:

• technical and trade skills training
• human resource training and skills development
• micro-credentials courses
• apprenticeship supervision
• on the job training supervision
• Original Equipment Manufacture (OEM) training