Funding for organisations to help build a sustainable future Defence Industry workforce

The Schools Pathways Program Open Competitive grant opportunity provides organisations with up to $2 million in funding to inform young Australians about the varied pathways and career opportunities within the defence industry and encourage engagement in STEM.

The Schools Pathways Program Open Competitive grant opportunity (the program) will run over two years from 2024-25 to 2025-26. The program is a key initiative of the Defence Industry Development Strategy launched in February 2024.

The aim of the grant opportunity is to inform young Australians about the varied pathways and careers relevant to defence industry, encouraging engagement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM). The grant opportunity facilitates an understanding of the defence industry, provides access to defence industry career experiences, mentoring and networking opportunities, and encourages student participation in STEM activities and/or subjects. Projects under the grant opportunity can have national reach or specifically target the workforce needs of one or more critical defence industry hubs, such as the Hunter and Cairns regions.

The objectives of the program are to:

• provide linkages and enhance work and career pathways for students into the Australian defence industry, and address specific skills gaps in defence industry capability
• expand the pool of skilled workers from which the Australian defence industry can recruit (including by supporting studies, experiences, and education endeavours in science, technology, engineering and mathematics for students).

All projects must be completed by 31 March 2026.

The intended outcomes of the grant opportunity are:

• secondary school students, teachers and parents/caregivers have a knowledge of:
  • the defence industry
  • the skills required and the secondary and post-secondary pathways relevant to defence industry careers.
• secondary school students:
  • are connected with the defence industry and defence industry mentors
  • are interested in studying STEM subjects relevant to defence industry careers
  • have an aspiration to work in the defence industry.
• that the Schools Pathways Program has participation of students from traditionally underrepresented groups.