April 26, 2023
Not long after touching down in Perth from Cairns, the Austral Academy team were off again to the Australian Maritime College (AMC) in Launceston, TAS.
The Australian Maritime College is the Australia’s foremost institute for maritime education, training and research. Featuring a multi-million dollar suite of specialist maritime research and learning facilities that are some of the most advanced in the Southern Hemisphere, it’s little wonder they produce highly skilled seagoing and land-based graduates.
Despite having worked with the AMC to recruit the right talent for our vacancies and identify the right courses to upskill our crew, this was the first time Austral Fisheries attended an AMC careers event to showcase the varied career opportunities available in the commercial fishing industry. Ashley, HR, and Sean, Southern Fleet Operations and AMC alumni, travelled to Launceston for Austral’s first appearance at the AMC Careers Expo.
We kicked off our visit with an Industry and Alumni event, where AMC alumni, staff and teaching faculty and business representatives networked with one another. It was a great opportunity to understand more about the infinite career opportunities available in the maritime industry and share the challenges being faced at an industry level.
The annual AMC Careers Expo brought together businesses from all aspects of the maritime industry including naval architecture, marine engineering, defence, transport, shipbuilding and more, to allow students to discover careers in the maritime industry. The event was attended by local Colleges (Years 11 and 12 students), Marine Teachers Association of NSW, and the AMC’s vocational education and training and University level students.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my time at the event. The diverse mix of people coming through with different interests and what they were hoping to get out of the event allowed us to tell our story and sell careers in fishing at different levels- school aged students, tertiary students, teachers, teaching staff and industry. It was delightful to meet students with such a passion for the maritime industry and open mindset as to where their formal training could take them. I’m glad Austral had a presence at this event to demonstrate that there are other vessels and journeys they can embark on outside of cargo ships, oil tankers and the like. The VR experience proved very useful in allowing seafarers to immerse themselves in a different life at sea as a commercial fisher,” said Ashley.
Sean spoke with recent graduates of the Marine Engine Driver 2 certificate to share where a career as a Marine Engineer could take them with Austral Fisheries.
The day finished up with a tour of the AMC’s learning and teaching facilities.
“Being back at AMC reinforced my beliefs that it is one of the best Universities and Maritime training facility Australia has to offer. Having the opportunity to talk with MED II students and discuss the pathways Austral has to offer was extremely productive and we look forward to seeing them on our vessels in the near future,” said Sean.
March was a big month for the Austral Academy, with 2023’s events so far including:
- Canning Vale College, WA
- Austral Academy NSW Road Trip to:
- Wee Waa High School, NSW
- Ashford Central School, NSW
- Inverell High School, NSW
- BackTrack Youth Works Armidale, NSW
- Austral Academy Cairns School Visits to:
- Redlynch State College, QLD
- Smithfield State High School, QLD
- Australian Maritime College, TAS
A big thank you to all the schools and colleges for having us so far!
Next stop: St Mark’s Anglican Community School & Sacred Heart Catholic College Careers Expo, WA.
If you’re interested in finding out more about Austral Fisheries and the Austral Academy, you can visit our new careers hub for more info.
Check out the highlights video of our trip to NSW below: