South Australian secondary school students will have direct access to the state’s burgeoning space sector, with a new pilot work experience program being launched today.

The Space Industry Work-Experience Program is an initiative of the South Australian Space Industry Centre (SASIC) and the Department for Education’s Advanced Technology Program.

It gives students the chance to undertake short-term placements during school holidays at selected local space companies, where they can learn more about the exciting opportunities across the high-tech and high-growth industry, set to boom across the state following the announcement that the Australian Space Agency will be based in Adelaide.

The program is available to students in years 10, 11 and 12 from both public and non-government schools.

Applications will be open for students in July, and successful students will work alongside a mentor at South Australian space organisations for two to three days during either the Term 3 or Term 4 school holidays.

Premier Steven Marshall says the program gives students invaluable insights into the local companies now driving growth across the space industry nation-wide.

“South Australia now has such a vibrant and thriving space ecosystem, with the Australian Space Agency, SmarSat CRC, Mission Control and Space Discovery Centre all to be housed in Adelaide,” said Premier Marshall.

“The investment in this exciting high-growth sector stimulates our economy, and will see incredible opportunities for young South Australians, encouraging them to stay here in our state.

“Building a skilled space workforce is crucial. We need to encourage students to take up STEM-related careers and we need to ensure graduates take full advantage of the exciting jobs that will be created from these incredible opportunities we’ve attracted to our state.”

Education Minister John Gardner welcomed the program announcement and said the Government was committed to skilling our students for the jobs of the future.

“This program is a valuable opportunity for students to get some real world experience as they think about being part of our future space industry workforce,” said Minister Gardner.

“It’s exciting that we already have 10 space companies registered for this program.

“Education will play a vital role in developing our space industry. The Marshall Liberal Government is committed to ensuring our students are equipped with the skills sets that the industry needs so our young people are best placed for jobs in the future.”

For more information, visit https://www.education.sa.gov.au/teaching/projects-and-programs.