The Australian National University (ANU) is one of my alma maters. From the ANU’s Woroni comes this excellent, well researched, article which also has some very useful bolded hyperlinks.
“HOW MIGHT AUKUS IMPACT
HIGHER EDUCATION?
27.5.2023 BY SIOBHAN PERRY
[A Collins sub]
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AUKUS is a
security deal between Australia, the UK and the US (hence the name), announced
in 2021. It has become synonymous with the “Pillar One” submarine deal, where
Australia will be developing a sovereign nuclear-powered submarine capability,
including manufacturing eight new nuclear-powered submarines. But first it needs
to train a workforce to build these submarines (and captain them too).
AUKUS is a
highly debated security pact, with arguments on both sides around costs,
ethics, development, and opportunities. One key aspect of the deal is the
training of Australians to operate the submarines. Woroni breaks
down how such policies could impact students.
Woroni reached out to ANU’s own Dr
Elizabeth Williams (an expert on the nuclear workforce and training
requirements) to find out what AUKUS may mean for ANU students.
Williams
believes there will be expanded career opportunities in areas related to AUKUS
and emphasises that this will go beyond the technical careers to operate the
ships themselves.
This means
that if nuclear science, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, cyber
security or hypersonics isn’t your thing, there may still be workforce
opportunities related to AUKUS. Australia will need people to deal with the
political, social and environmental implications of the agreement. This will
likely lead to increased demand for workers in government, industry and
academic circles.
There has
been talk of future AUKUS-related scholarships for students who wish to train
to be in the nuclear workforce. While there is nothing concrete yet in terms of
scholarships and programs the Government has pledged $3 billion (out of $368 billion overall) of funding
specifically for training.
In addition
to this, the Government has pledged $127.3 million over the next
four years to fund 4,000 additional Commonwealth Supported Places in STEM
disciplines, specifically in support of the nuclear-powered submarine program.
Until then, Defence, for example, is offering Nuclear Science and Engineering Undergraduate
scholarships, and support for study via the STEM Cadetship program. These scholarships
do not require students to work on nuclear submarines or AUKUS-related projects
specifically.
On the
other hand, some students may find it unfair that HECS fees have increased with
inflation, while the Government rolls out scholarships for defence. The 2023
Government Budget has allocated 19 billion AUD over the next four years for the
development of the submarines. By contrast, parliamentary research found that
“There are limited measures in the Education portfolio relating to higher education
in this Budget.”
ANU is of
special interest because it has been running highly regarded research and
education programs in fundamental nuclear physics for many years. Williams
recommends that students who wish to work in the AUKUS space should “seek out
opportunities to do research projects at places like the Heavy Ion Accelerator
Facility (HIAF) at ANU, because hands-on experience working with nuclear
technologies will be advantageous and will give students skills that will allow
them to contribute across a range of different disciplines.”
For
non-science students who are interested in the politics, ethics, and
obligations around AUKUS, Williams recommends looking into ANU’s Nuclear Politics in Asia: challenges and opportunities,
or just Politics of Nuclear Weapons. Science Risk and Ethics would also be
beneficial.
For current
physics and engineering students who are interested in tailoring their degree
for a career to do with the nuclear-powered submarines, Williams recommends
throwing in an introductory chemistry class. She also recommends doing
additional maths and physics courses covering electromagnetism, classical and
quantum mechanics, and the physics of matter. Courses which build
programming skills will also be advantageous.
An ANU
spokesperson told Woroni that the University has had no
interaction with the Department of Defence regarding AUKUS scholarships.
However, it appears the ANU expects nuclear technology to become a topic of
greater focus, as it is currently hiring for three Fellows of Nuclear Stewardship, one
each for the College of Asia and the Pacific, the College of Engineering,
Computer Science and Cybernetics, and the College of Science.
AUKUS is
not beneficial to all students at the ANU, however. Outside of ethical
concerns, there exists limitations for students – notably, only Australian
citizens may participate in AUKUS programs, ruling out many highly skilled
international students. Our own Vice-Chancellor, Brian Schmidt, pointed out
another issue for students wishing to follow the AUKUS pathway – there may not be enough academics to teach them.
In a submission to the Government’s Defence Strategic Review, the ANU stated
“while Australia has developed a strong reputation for expertise on nuclear
science, safety and regulation, the current academic workforce is too small to
meet the increasing demands for formal training and education that will be
required by AUKUS.”
The student
union, ANUSA, is strongly opposed to ANU accepting Defence-related scholarship
programs. The Student Representatives Council has passed several motions
opposing AUKUS and calling on the ANU to reject scholarships related to AUKUS.
Brian Schmidt has labelled AUKUS “one of the biggest training and workforce development challenges Australia has faced.” Whether Australia, and the ANU, meets this challenge, and whether many students wish to work in the AUKUS arena, remains to be seen.”