Thales Australia’s Scylla In-Service Support team welcomes graduate placements from Defence Industry Pathways Program

The Collins Class Submarine Sonar Suite (Scylla) are the ‘eyes and ears’ of the submarines, and are critical in supporting Australia’s strategic priority on enhancing its submarine capability. 

Part of the dedicated team who provide in-service support to this sonar system are based at the Thales site in Rockingham, Western Australia and are proud participants in the Defence Industry Pathways Program (DIPP). This 12 month-program, jointly developed by South Metropolitan TAFE and the Royal Australian Navy, provides graduate outplacements with hands-on training and experience within Defence Industry and aims to counteract the skills shortage and bolster capability.

Underwater Systems Operational Maintenance Manager, Phillip Stephan is coordinating Thales’ involvement and highlights the program’s importance:

“The program is instrumental in opening up opportunities to work in defence to a wider audience. It’s about encouraging graduates to consider careers in the industry and not only equipping them with the experience to make an informed decision about their career, but also training them so they complete the program with a baseline level of experience they need to start a career with Thales."

Two participants hosted by the Scylla ISS team in Rockingham over the last eight months have successfully completed their placement after working on various technical activities and performance testing and maintenance tasks aboard the Collins Class Submarines.

Thales’ support of the program continues as the team welcomes a new DIPP outplacement who has hit the ground running with inspection tasks. The Rockingham based team say the enthusiasm and unique perspectives brought by the program’s participants support the team’s approach to continuous improvement and innovation across the project.