Canberra, 23 August 2022 – Lockheed Martin Australia has partnered with the University of Newcastle to deliver 10 Science and Engineering Challenge events across Newcastle, Canberra and Adelaide to boost Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) participation in urban and regional communities.

The Science and Engineering Challenge is the longest running nationwide STEM outreach program hosted by the University of Newcastle in partnership with communities, Rotary clubs, universities, government and industry.

In support of University of Newcastle’s annual Science and Engineering Challenge, Lockheed Martin Australia donated $20,000 to support the Challenge Days to provide Year 9-10 high school students with firsthand experiences into the world of science and engineering.

Teams of Lockheed Martin engineers attended the regional Challenge Days to mentor students, judge and score activities for their design and efficiency as well as talk with students about the full discipline of engineering applications.

Lockheed Martin Australia’s AIR6500 Australian Industry Capability Manager, Sam Wong said, “Lockheed Martin Australia is highly committed to growing the future STEM workforce needed across fields such as cyber, artificial intelligence, machine learning, systems integration to create a stronger, self-reliant Australian defence industry base.”

“Over 40% of our global workforce are scientists or engineers. That’s approximately 60,000 engineers, so it’s critical that we invest in developing our future workforce that will design the next generation technologies to solve the complex challenges of tomorrow.”

University of Newcastle’s Science and Engineering Challenge Director, Professor Steven Weller said, “We are delighted to have the partnership of Lockheed Martin Australia to connect students with qualified engineers and dynamic STEM activities to expose them to the exciting career pathways on offer within Defence Industry.”

“Along with Lockheed Martin Australia and our partners invaluable sponsorships, this year’s Science and Engineering Challenge attracted the participation of over 3000 high school students from across Australia. It’s a tremendous result in connecting young people with STEM choices,” said Professor Weller.

Lockheed Martin Australia is committed to creating opportunities for high-skilled, STEM entry level candidates by employing more than 94 Early Career employees, equating to nearly 8% of the company’s workforce across Australia.

About Lockheed Martin Australia

Headquartered in Canberra, Lockheed Martin Australia is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lockheed Martin Corporation. The company employs more than 1,200 people in Australia working on a wide range of major programs spanning the aerospace, defence and civil sectors. For additional information, visit our website: www.lockheedmartin.com.au

Media Contact:

Stacey Ward, stacey.l.ward@lmco.com, +61 439 369 305