More than 1500 new university and training places will boost workforce capability for the AUKUS project, after the federal government revealed that a construction yard to build nuclear submarines would cost at least $30 billion.
On Monday, the South Australian government announced a $27 million package to support university degrees, trade apprenticeships, and trade places, aiming to create 300 university scholarships, 1000 extra university places, and 550 trade apprenticeships.
The federal government announced on Sunday it had pledged $3.9 billion as a down payment on the the submarine construction yard at Osborne in Adelaide, which will be built over the next 15 years.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said more than $30 billion was being invested in the yard before the first submarine was built but "all of it means nothing if we don't get the skills right".
"The state government's job is to make sure not just that we get (the funding), but that we're investing in the future generation of South Australians to get the skill that they require so they can get a job in a yard like this," he said.
The package includes university scholarships of up to $10,000 per student to study AUKUS-related disciplines including mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering and nuclear and submarine naval architecture.
A major element is $17 million to support 550 trade apprenticeships prioritising critical skills for defence projects.
Mr Malinauskas made the announcement during a tour of the BAE Systems shipyard at Osborne, which is expanding to support AUKUS, along with US Senator Tim Kaine.
Senator Kaine, who is a member of Congress's armed services committee said he was visiting Australian shipbuilding facilities so he could return home "with more arguments to use with my colleagues about what we can do to carry forward on AUKUS implementation".
"AUKUS has huge support in Congress, Democrat and Republican, House and Senate, and I've heard the same thing here as I've interacted with federal and state leaders and parliamentarians, that this is an initiative embraced across traditional political lines," he said.
