This consultancy required an evidence-based methodology to determine the State skill needs necessary to deliver on the preferred Maritime and Military Systems Integration and Electronics line items of the 2004 – 2014 Defence Capability Plan, as well as expected and ongoing through-life support commitments. This project built upon a previous, broad-based analysis of skill needs previously undertaken by Huntly Consulting Group for Challenger TAFE.

The consultancy involved extensive consultation with defence sector firms (direct consultations and an industry-wide online survey aimed at collecting data about industry sentiment and three year employment and training projections), the development of an employment supply and demand model (using survey, Australian Bureau of Statistics, Monash University and training data) to provide an understanding and measurement of defence sector skill requirements, and the development of appropriate strategies to meet identified skill gaps. The project delivered a final report and an electronic forecasting model for determining optimal apprentice numbers for the industry three years into the future, taking into account rates of attrition from training and the trades and changes to economic outlook. (Download Report)