RDA Hunters’ ME Program facilitates formal partnerships between Hunter industry and high schools to make curriculum more workplace-relevant and build awareness of Defence Industry career pathways. Developed in 2009,the program has a strong focus on developing science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) skills in students from years 7 to 12 in readiness for the jobs that industry requires, while ensuring Defence Industry has access to a talent pool with relevant skills.

The ME Program’s long-term aims are to:

• increase student awareness of the employment opportunities and pathways into defence industry;
• facilitate practical career experiences in defence industry for students;
• establish student mentoring and network opportunities with defence industry; and
• increase student opportunities and exposure to STEM activities and subjects that lead to an improved awareness of defence industry careers.

The ME Program is supported by the Australian Government’s Department of Defence Schools Pathway Program grant and helps the Government engage, attract, train & retain, and collaborate to build a workforce to secure Australia’s interests at home, in our region and across the world.

Cited widely in the Australian Government’s 2019 Defence Industry Skilling and STEM Strategy as a case study of success, RDA Hunter’s ME Program contributes to the development of the robust, resilient and internationally competitive Australian defence industrial base that the Department of Defence (DoD) is working to secure.