The Maritime Early Careers team invited the Angle Vale Scout Group to pilot a new STEM outreach program at the Osborne Naval Shipyard. It aims to engage more with local youth community organisations.

The Scouts spent the day getting hands on constructing LEGO robots, speaking with employees from across the Hunter Class Frigate Program and finished with a personal tour of the shipyard. The experience symbolised the parallels between kids building with LEGO blocks and career-driven adults doing something similar with ships but on a grander scale.

Program Lead – Early Careers Ashleigh Bryans says his team does a lot of Science, Technology, Education and Mathematics (STEM) outreach with South Australian schools but are always exploring new ideas to involve community groups.

“Scouts is the world’s largest youth organisation and teaches independence, resourcefulness and forward thinking in a community environment. This made the kids the perfect candidates to trial this program, provide feedback and to show them the cool stuff happening at Osborne,” Ashleigh says.

“The outreach program is important because it will educate people that careers in defence cover a whole spectrum of roles. There’s a stigma around STEM only being about science or engineering and we’re changing that. A young Scout member summed it up perfectly: STEM is about creativity and innovation. We offer such a diversity in opportunities at BAE Systems and I know we have something for every aspiring professional.”

An advocate for developing young people, Global Combat Ship Head of Manufacturing Engineering and Angle Vale Scouts Cub Leader Michel Hermence jumped at the chance to involve his Scouts in the pilot program.

“It’s important to show the Scouts the connection between building LEGO robots and doing the same with full-sized ships. I hope they came away from the day seeing themselves as the innovators of the future designing and building the next generation of naval vessels,” Michel says.

“Scouts learn life skills like teamwork, time management, planning, communication and commitment while imagination is fostered. Imagination gets lost when kids get to school and go through university. That’s why programs like this are crucial.”

“The Scouts ticked off the day as part of their extracurricular activities. I can’t imagine too many Scouts worldwide getting to write ‘shipyard’ on their forms. I think that’s unique,” Michel says.

The STEM program will evolve further before it’s officially rolled out and will be utilised for other community groups.