South Australian students will be able to learn more about future careers in science, technology, engineering and maths at the 2019 Edinburgh Air Show today with 600 students participating in Astro-STEM day as part of the 2019 Edinburgh Air show.
For the first time ever, the Royal Australian Air Force along with Boeing, BAE, Airbus, Lockheed Martin, Northrup Grumman, SAAB, South Australian universities and TAFE are working together to inspire South Australian students to pursue opportunities in our booming space and defence sectors.
Premier Steven Marshall said there was nothing more critical in South Australia than building the workforce needed to embrace the opportunities that would flow from living in SA, the Defence and Space state.
“These students aren’t learning about the jobs of the future, these are the jobs of right now,” the Premier said.
“Our expanding defence and space sectors are presenting unprecedented opportunities for South Australians right now, across the community.
“What Astro-STEM is seeking to achieve is inspire in young people a love for STEM subjects and the technology that knowledge allows, so they can start dreaming of the next big leap forward.
“We shouldn’t forget, our state is now home to the Australian Space Agency, SmartSat CRC, Mission Control and the Space Discovery Centre. We are Australia’s Cape Canaveral.
“This is such an exciting time for our state and the State Government has a laser-like focus on creating opportunities for our young people in the years ahead.”
Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni said STEM Day would provide students with an exciting opportunity to engage with STEM subjects.
“This is the first time this event has been held in SA, and we would like to see it expanded to include more schools and particularly to involve primary school students.
“South Australia is benefiting from huge job opportunities in science and technology related industries, not least of all in the defence and space sectors, and we want to give our young people every opportunity to take full advantage,” said Minister Pisoni.
“Education will play a vital role in developing our future workforce and the Marshall Government is committed to aligning educational opportunities to emerging industries, so our young people are best placed for the jobs of the future.
“We know that the majority of growth industries require STEM knowledge, and this event will deliver our students STEM learning opportunities in a fun and engaging way.”
Astro-STEM day:
The Astro-STEM program targets students from years 8, 9 and 10, with 38 schools registered to take part in the event and is run by the Royal Australian Air Force. The 2019 Edinburgh Air Show is open to the broader public tomorrow and Sunday, and is expected to attract around 50,000 people, including 24,000 interstate visitors and over 500 Air Force members.
Astro-STEM will include opportunities for students to explore:
- VR flight simulators and maintenance training;
- Mixed reality HoloLens demo;
- Augmented Reality experience;
- Drone Racing;
- Military aircraft displays;
- Centre of gravity – rocket and aircraft experiments;
- Info on high-tech career pathways in aviation and aerospace;
- A navigation challenge; and
- More about high tech career pathways in aviation and aerospace.
