campusreview . com . au
INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION
Future ready
Universities ask govt to fund defence internships for overseas students .
By Tim Dodd
Australia ’ s peak university body has called on the government to adjust entry requirements for graduate defence roles and to fund internships for up to 100,000 international students .
Universities Australia told an independent review into the nation ’ s defence strategy higher education institutions were “ uniquely positioned ” to help plug future workforce gaps in the military .
“ Defence is not immune to the skills crisis rippling through our economy ,” UA chief Catriona Jackson said .
“ We are in desperate need of additional engineers , intelligence officers and cyber professionals .
“ Without a full and skilled workforce , we will continue to see project delays and gaps in our nation ’ s defence , putting us at greater risk of harm .”
It ’ s estimated the ADF could be short of up to 30,000 cybersecurity workers within the next four years .
The shortfall of cyber security professionals comes in the aftermath of high-profile data breaches against Optus and Medibank last year which compromised the personal data of millions .
Amending restrictions on the eligibility of international students to enter graduate defence roles could help expand the country ’ s recruitment pool , UA said in their submission .
“ Universities educate over 400,000 international students annually ,” it read .
“ About a quarter of these students come from Australia ’ s key strategic allies and Five Eyes partner countries .
“ While there are valid national security considerations to be considered , the current policy settings restrict access to a wide cross-section of the Australian university cohort and limit defence ’ s ability to recruit .”
The submission also urged closer partnerships between the defence force and universities in addressing future workforce needs and national security challenges .
It said expanding defence sponsorship of university places “ could open greater recruitment pathways [...] by attracting students with a wider range of further education interests .”
The GO8 , which represents eight of Australia ’ s most research intensive universities , said its strong ties the US and UK could be leveraged to support areas of need .
“ The enormous defence-related research capacity in our universities has not really begun to be applied at scale in accelerating the discovery and fielding of new capability ,” the G08 submission said . ■
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