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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-11-08 Daily Xml
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SKILLS STRATEGY

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (15:19): My question is to the Minister for Science and Information Technology. Can the minister outline to the house how the South Australian government is working to promote awareness of the opportunities provided in the science, technology, engineering and maths sectors?

The SPEAKER: The Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills. I am having some trouble with titles today—learning these new titles.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.R. KENYON (Newland—Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for Recreation and Sport) (15:20): I thank the member for Florey for her question. Her seat, in fact, is named after one of our most famous and capable scientists—a very proud product of this state. I would also like to say what a privilege it is to have carriage of the science and information economy portfolio to complement the employment, further education and skills portfolio. We know that, to meet the needs of our increasingly high-tech world, our state needs more South Australians with skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

We know that training more highly-skilled, workforce-ready graduates will be critical for the economic future of our state, and that is why the state government has launched the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics Skills Strategy for South Australia, also known as the STEM Skills Strategy. This strategy brings together industry and government to shape STEM activities and to engage with educators and training organisations.

Mr Pisoni interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: Also, through our schooling system we are engaging in the range of ways in which we can promote the take-up of maths and science in our schools. The growth in our biotech, minerals, defence and cleantech industries makes the partnerships between government, industry, education and training especially important. I have already had the pleasure of launching one of the most important events in boosting the profile of STEM activities, the Adelaide University School of Mechanical Engineering's MechExpo 2011—

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: —at the Wayville Showgrounds. My favourite exhibit was the model submarine that had been built by some of the students. It was exceptional. It had been designed and constructed in less than 12 months. Along with Adelaide's own NASA astronaut and aerospace engineer Andy Thomas, I was amazed by the range and complexity of the display of over 60 projects developed by the engineers of tomorrow. Each exhibit represents the culmination of a full year's work by the students, and the results reflect the exciting range of opportunities available within the field of engineering.

This was the 17th Annual Honours Students Project Exhibition and a fantastic showcase of the skills being developed in our state in mechanical, mechatronic, aerospace, automotive, sports and sustainable energy engineering. The member for Davenport might be keen to know that some of the sports engineering students have developed a new type of bowling machine as well.

The Hon. I.F. Evans interjecting:

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: A bowling machine. MechExpo also provides students with an all-important link to industry.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. T.R. KENYON: While they worked on their projects, they also had the chance to work with industry to develop their research, development, budget management and communication skills. I am sure that MechExpo 2011 sparked the imagination of all those who visited and showed them what it means to be an engineer, to see what engineering involves and to recognise the value it provides for our collective future.

Events such as this are complementary to our STEM Skills Strategy, which will ensure a strategic approach to investment required to ensure the supply of these skills to match forecast industry demand over the next decade. While the demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematic skills is a national and global challenge, South Australia is determined to lead the way Our students need to be inspired to wonder about what problems they might solve in the future and how they can think about the world differently, and the South Australian government's STEM Skills Strategy aims to do just that.

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