by brandsa2018

Scouted 2018 to discover SA’s best emerging musical talents

Adelaide’s unsigned and emerging musical talents could secure their ‘big break’ when music industry leaders descend upon the city’s west end later this month.

In its second iteration, Scouted is returning in 2018 and will feature 16 emerging local artists performing across four renowned live music venues in Adelaide on Friday, July 27.

The multi-venue event will run in conjunction with Umbrella Winter City Sounds, an open access festival from July 13–29 offering a smorgasbord of live music projects and performances across Adelaide.

Check out the Umbrella program here.

The Scouted performances will unfold at Jive, Rocket Bar, West Oak Hotel and Nexus Arts and coincide with Adelaide playing host to the second annual AIR Awards, which brings music industry leaders and independent artists from across Australia into town.

Following the 2017 Scouted, several artists were signed and many secured national media coverage and sought-after festival slots.

This year’s Scouted line-up includes WOMADelaide alumni Hana & Jessie-Lee’s Bad Habits, local rock favourites Donnarumma, who recently opened for Cold Chisel at the Adelaide 500, and the newly formed duo Dhungala Baarka.

Other artists include multi-instrumentalist Bree Tranter, electro dance act Strict Face, shoegaze outfit Blush Response, soaring indie folk band The Winter Gypsy, Argus & The Liar, Fair Maiden, Hartway, Naomi Keyte, Neon Tetra, Ollie English, Runaway Weekend, Siamese, and Wing Defence.

New wave group Neon Tetra will perform at Scouted. Photo by @fenj_.

Music SA general manager Lisa Bishop says Scouted is a key opportunity for home grown talent to showcase themselves to some of the biggest names in the music industry.

“After the success of last year’s event, we are looking forward to impressing key identities from the Australian music industry in town for the AIR awards again,” she says.

“SA has an incredibly rich and vibrant music scene and we always welcome the opportunity to turn a national spotlight on it.”

The Scouted artists will all play at one of the four stages at Jive, the West Oak Hotel, Rocket Bar and Nexus Arts.

Umbrella Winter City Sounds festival will kick off on July 13 with a free, all-ages opening night party from 5–10pm along Bank Street.

Six local artists and DJs will perform live, with local street vendors, beer, wine and art on offer.

Scouted is on Friday July 27, from 5–10pm. Visit musicglue.com/scouted for more information.

Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.

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by brandsa2018

Behind the success of South Australia’s female founders

From life-changing IVF technology to rocket science – South Australia is home to a community of female entrepreneurs with global ambitions.

The spotlight will be on a handful of the state’s brightest and boldest female founders at this year’s Entrepreneurs Week, which kicks off on Monday, July 9.

The Celebrating SA’s Female Founders session – part of the opening event – will bring together some of the state’s most inspiring female entrepreneurs to share their stories and encourage other women to take similar pathways.

In Australia women represent only 34% of entrepreneurs, but the number of female entrepreneurs is growing at a faster rate than men.

Facilitated by Chooks SA founder and director Moira Deslandes, the female founders panel includes internationally renowned health expert Dr Michelle Perugini, rocket scientist Flavia Tata Nardini, Sarah Gun of GOGO Events and GOGO Labour Hire and Louise Nobes of KIK Innovation.

Brand SA News caught up with some of the panellists to discover their secrets to success.

Fleet Space Technologies CEO and I Choose SA ambassador Flavia Tata Nardini.

Female Founder #1
Flavia Tata Nardini, co-founder and CEO of Fleet Space Technologies

Flavia Tata Nardini is an Italian rocket scientist who came to Adelaide for love after meeting her engineer husband Stefani Landi, who is from SA. She is one of the faces behind the push for the state to become the nation’s space technology hub. Flavia founded Fleet Space Technologies alongside space entrepreneur Matthew Pearson in 2015.

1. How did you get to where you are?
“The world is becoming more connected by the day. I noticed this back in 2015, and along with my co-founders, I saw there was an opportunity to create an industry to help connect the billions of devices that are set to come online.

“Together, we saw the value that a nanosatellite-based network could change the way that businesses in major industries operate. So we set off.

“In 2018, Fleet Space Technologies began selling The Portal — our flagship product that enables businesses to connect hundreds of devices to private, secure and Low Power Wide Area Networks anywhere around the world, at a fraction of the cost of traditional satellite systems, making it far more efficient and worthwhile for remote enterprises to run IoT networks.

“The Portal is set to transform billion-dollar industries, from precision agriculture on isolated rural farms in Africa, lone worker safety applications in remote Canada, to maritime monitoring in the middle of the Indian Ocean.

“Later this year, the first of Fleet Space Technologies’ nanosatellites will be launched aboard Indian Space Agency and SpaceX rockets.”

2. Why is it important to showcase the success of SA’s female founders and to encourage other entrepreneurial women to follow similar pathways?

“South Australia is making positive movements toward creating a STEM industry that is conducive to women’s success.

“It is so important to spark young women’s imaginations and interest in STEM at an early age, and I’ve been really pleased with the increase in STEM programs for females in schools in our state.

“The government recognises that increasing opportunities for women STEM is essential for the economy, for gender equality and for maximising innovation, creativity, and competitiveness in the workforce.”

Life Whisperer co-founder and I Choose SA ambassador Dr Michelle Perugini.

Female Founder #2
Dr Michelle Perugini, co-founder of Life Whisperer

Dr Michelle Perugini is a stem cell biologist-turned-entrepreneur whose Adelaide-based start-up has helped develop cutting edge technology that will improve IVF couples’ chances at having children.

Life Whisperer was launched in February 2017 by Dr Perugini, her husband Dr Don Perugini and business partner Dr Jonathan Hall.

1. How did you get to where you are?

“Blood, sweat, and tears. I started off as a stem cell biologist for 10 years and then founded my first AI business with my husband Don.

“This business, ISD Analytics, was in predictive analytics and behavioural modelling and we developed a global AI product that was sold into six industry sectors in multiple international markets including the US and Europe.

“ISD Analytics was acquired by Ernst and Young in 2015 and we remained there following the acquisition for just over a year.

“After the acquisition we wanted to give back to the start up community and started mentoring in accelerators and commercialisation programs including the Adelaide University eChallenge.

“That’s where I met Dr Jonathan Hall, a physics PhD who was working with the fertility group at the uni and conceived the idea of being able to non-invasively image IVF embryos to help pick the most viable ones to transfer to patients, with the intent of improving IVF success rates and helping infertile couples have children.

“I was immediately drawn to the idea and it was very well matched with our respective skill sets and technical and commercial experience so we founded Life Whisperer to solve this problem.

“We conducted a clinical study with Monash IVF to test the concept and showed a 30% accuracy improvement of our approach when compared to world-leading experts.

“We are now conducting trials in USA, Malaysia, and soon in UK, UAE, and Canada. The product is expected to be out to market later this year.”

2. Why is it important to showcase the success of SA’s female founders and to encourage other entrepreneurial women to follow similar pathways?

“There are many outstanding entrepreneurs in SA female and male alike who deserve recognition and support.

“There are however, a significant number of female entrepreneurs coming to the fore that bring a different dimensionality and value proposition to the start up ecosystem.”

Sarah Gun of GOGO Events and GOGO Labour Hire.

Female Founder #3
Sarah Gun, founder and social enterprise director of GOGO Events and GOGO Labour Hire

Sarah built her career in SA, becoming a much sought after event stylist for corporate, government and non-profit organisations.

Her business GOGO Events allows people experiencing homelessness to access paid work by producing decor items, and event materials, providing hospitality and packing down events.

The social enterprise has worked with a range of high profile clients including the South Australian Museum, Toyota Australia, Australian Hotels Association, CARA and Food SA.

In 2016 Sarah and GOGO won an award in Austin, Texas, for the Most Innovative Social Enterprise at the South by South West Interactive Festival.

1. How did you get to where you are?

GOGO Events started in 2000 as a normal for-profit business which I turned into a purpose-driven business in 2012. This meant that I made a conscious decision to value the business’ social impact over its profit making capability.

I think business can be a way to reach equality in society. In the last five-and-a-half years we have created 650 client experiences for our staff.

It’s not just about the work, but it’s about allowing our team to re-identify with something other than homelessness. It lifts their self esteem and the feedback we get is that it makes them feel worthwhile. We all want play a part in the world in which we live.

2. Why is it important to showcase the success of SA’s female founders and to encourage other entrepreneurial women to follow similar pathways?

I think that overwhelmingly, female-led businesses here are still somewhat invisible. I think individual women are celebrated but businesses as a whole, not so much.

We have to have a strong ecosystem but there aren’t enough women in that space yet, particularly in investment areas. However, we are very good at collaborating.

We need to celebrate and recognise the success, and build a community of women. Also, many women have social enterprises – opposed to mainstream enterprises – and that’s something that needs to shift.

entrepreneursweek.com.au

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by brandsa2018

Diversification the name of the game for Daryl

Port MacDonnell’s Daryl Prunnell is a man on a mission.

He wants to improve the economic growth of South Australia’s South East and encourage the next generation of critical thinkers to stay in the region.

Daryl has a plan to transform a redundant crayfish factory and adjoining land into a fish and rock lobster farm, with additional plans for complementary accommodation, a restaurant, research and development and educational facilities on the site.

Recently, his entrepreneurial thinking and enterprising spirit have seen him win silver at the inaugural Limestone Coast eNVIe Awards.

The win will take him and fellow eNVIe Award winner and Mt Gambier headwear accessories design Ashlee Kalantarian, to Silicon Valley, Austin and New York City to visit other innovative thinkers, learn how to pitch business ideas, and take part in networking opportunities.

Member for Barker Tony Pasin, left, with Limestone Coast locals Katie Fox of Little Pink Box, Ashlee Kalatarian of Ashlee Lauren Designs, Daryl Prunnell and Professor Clare Pollock of Flinders University.

The award marks Daryl’s completion of the Venture Dorm program, a course that provides hand-on training for people who want to build and market new ventures.

The Venture Dorm program is run by Flinders University’s New Venture Institute on the Limestone Coast and aims to foster early start-ups and business innovations.

Daryl, who moved back to Mt Gambier from the Northern Territory with wife Irma in 2012, sprouted his aquaculture idea three-four years ago.

“We bought the old factory about four years ago, and when the blocks of land next door came up for sale we bought those as well,” he says.

“During winter, the blocks get inundated with rainwater and groundwater, and I made a comment one day that it was so wet you could grow fish in there.

“Then I started to think – well, actually we could do that…”

Daryl Prunnell has a plan to develop a fish farm featuring rock lobster and Atlantic salmon that would showcase local produce to tourists. Photo courtesy of The Border Watch.

Daryl has been undertaking a diverse range of farming practices on their 40ha property, including running pasture-fed free-range chickens for eggs, as well as cross-bred lambs, Black Angus cattle and bees.

“The fish farm is another diversification for us,” he says.

“Back in Darwin I was a very keen fisherman. I was up there during the boom construction period, where everyone had the big toys and the big salaries and the charter companies had enough business to run two charters a day.

“At this time I saw the incredible damage that was being done to the fish populations and the waterways, so I feel like a sustainable fish farm with an educational facility would be popular and beneficial.”

Heading to the US in March 2019, he says he’s looking forward to “meeting and spending time with people who think outside the box”.

Until then, he is hoping to keep the train moving, with funding and investment opportunities coming up.

“Our next step is to commission some concept drawings and have costings completed for the first stages of development,” he says.

“I hope that by March we will be progressing very well, and I would like to think we will be up and running by Christmas 2019.”

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by brandsa2018

Great Wine Capital experts descend upon the Riverland

It’s only two years since Adelaide was unanimously voted into the prestigious Great Wine Capitals Global Network, which was established in 1999, but already it’s proving its worth.

Being part of the group enables Adelaide and South Australia’s wine regions to work together with nine other international cities with globally renowned wine regions.

A visit to SA recently by three of the network’s wine business experts from the Napa Valley in California, Porto in Portugal and Bordeaux in France highlights the benefits of being part of this collaboration.

Visit Napa Valley president, Clay Gregory, Dean of the Wine and Spirit’s Academy at KEDGE Business School in Bordeaux, Jacques-Oliver Pesme and the Monverde Wine Experience Hotel’s general manager, Miguel Ribeiro from Porto spent a week in SA.

They toured McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek,  Adelaide Hills, Barossa Valley. Clare Valley and the Riverland, meeting with local wine, tourism and hospitality industry representatives.

The wine experts’ key message was for SA’s wine sector to work closely with tourism and hospitality operators to develop experiences for international visitors.

They say the promotion of wine should be combined with a whole of region experience, featuring fresh local cuisine, cultural experiences and an opportunity to enjoy natural surroundings such as the River Murray.

The Riverland was the final region on the wine business experts’ itinerary and the general manager of the Monverde Wine Experience Hotel in Porto Miguel Ribeiro was impressed.

“This landscape, this countryside is so beautiful, you have so much to offer,” he told a workshop at the Banrock Station Wine and Wetland Centre at Kingston-on-Murray.

From left, executive director Agriculture, Food and Wine (PIRSA) Jo Collins, Tersilla and Clay Gregory from the Napa Valley, Jacques-Olivier Pesme from Bordeaux, Riverland Wine’s Jo Battersby, Miguel Ribeiro from Portugal and Primary Industries Minister Tim Whetsone experience the beauty of the River Murray near Waikerie.

The delegates also travelled by boat along the River Murray to Caudo Vineyard at Cadell, near Waikerie.

Riverland Wine operations manager Jo Battersby says the visitors found the Riverland breathtaking.

“It was a beautiful day to take them out on the water, the water was crystal clear and calm, the sun was shining in the middle of winter,” she says.

Jo says Adelaide’s membership of the Great Wine Capitals Network provides the Riverland with a chance to be presented to an international audience, as an emerging wine tourism destination.

Executive director of Agriculture, Food and Wine for PIRSA, Jo Collins, says Adelaide is cementing its reputation overseas by being part of the network.

“Wine is the hero here, we make fantastic wine, we produce 80% of Australia’s premium wine, we have 18 fantastic wine regions,” she says.

The state is already making its mark with Penfolds’ chief winemaker Peter Gago being appointed an inaugural Great Wine Capitals Global Network ambassador to promote the Adelaide wine capital.

Penfolds’ chief winemaker and inaugural Great Wine Capitals Global Network ambassador for Adelaide, Peter Gago.

Whistling Kite Wines near Loxton in the Riverland was also recently awarded a Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism award for its sustainable wine practices.

Adam Barich runs the winery with his parents, Pam and Tony.

“The win has highlighted to a massive audience the level of wine experiences in the Riverland available to visitors and locals,” he says.

Primary Industries and Regional Development Minister Tim Whetstone says he is excited about the international recognition SA’s wine industry is receiving.

“We have countries that are now enjoying the great products we have, the historical brands and varieties, sitting along side the new varieties and new brands that are so exciting,” he says.

The Great Wine Capitals Global Network’s AGM will be held in Adelaide in November and about 100 delegates are expected to attend.

Owner of Whistling Kite Wines near Loxton, Tony Barich, inspects wine grapes with Maddie.

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by brandsa2018

Hong Kong has a taste for Adelaide’s The Yoghurt Shop

Adelaide Central Market-based The Yoghurt Shop is expecting to triple export sales into Asia in the next 12 months, with tubs of the locally made dairy product hitting Hong Kong shelves in August.

The 15-year-old company has been working with retail giant, Dairy Farm International Holdings, to have products stocked at 50 sites across Hong Kong.

The Yoghurt Shop’s tubs will make their way into two of Hong Kong’s leading gourmet fine food stores, Oliver’s and Market Place by Jasons, which is considered one of the highest end chain supermarkets in the region.

The Yoghurt Shop managing director Simon Reynolds.

Launched in Adelaide by owner Simon Reynolds in 2003, The Yoghurt Shop hit the Brunei market in August last year, and has its sights set on the entire South East Asia region by 2022.

“We’re optimistic and excited to be able to have our customers try more of our range as we spread across the territory – this is part of our paced and community based rollout across South East Asia,” Simon says.

“Looking forward to the next 12 months, we expect to triple our export sales in South East Asia from 3% of our total business to around 8%, with expansion in Hong Kong and Singapore as well as entry to Thailand and mainland China.”

The Yoghurt Shop sells more than 25 million tubs of yoghurt at 2000 retailers across five countries, offering flavours such as apple crumble, cacao crumble, rhubarb, and cappuccino.

Simon Reynolds, right, after The Yoghurt Shop’s natural Greek yoghurt won gold at the Dairy Industry Association of Australia awards.

It also stocks a range of frozen yoghurts, granolas and frozen berries.

In 2017 The Yoghurt Shop’s natural Greek yoghurt was crowned best in the country by the Dairy Industry Association of Australia.

The Yoghurt Shop products can be found at Foodlands, IGAs, On the Run service stations, Drakes Supermarkets and independent grocers and cafés across South Australia.

Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.

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by brandsa2018

Recipe: quick, easy, one pot laksa

During winter we search for comfort. We crave satisfying, rich and hearty foods, full bodied red wine and warm evenings on the couch. Slow cooked meats, roasted vegetables, soups, jus’ and gravies…

Winter produce lends itself perfectly to one pot wonders. Shallots that add a rich flavour to less glamorous yet full flavoured secondary cuts of meat such as shoulders, shanks and shins. Potato, carrot, parsnip and pumpkin, all vegetables that absorb flavour while maintaining their texture when added to thick sauces. Citrus fruits provide a burst of fresh relief along with a concentrated dose of vitamin C.

Slow cooking joints of meat is what winter is all about. Caramelise, deglaze, set the temperature to low and forget! After a few hours the pot looks like winter, the house smells like winter and your tastebuds are getting excited.

Unfortunately, you can’t rush a good slow cook. If you want the satisfying winter warmer but in about one tenth of the time, then hearty soups, curries and laksas need to be on your dinner menu.

For a full-flavoured, satisfying and comforting dish this winter, try our super simple prawn laksa, it’s on the table (almost) quicker than you can say Uber Eats!

Prawn & Bok Choy Laksa
Serves 4

Deliciously satisfying winter food (minus the time commitment).

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
1 thumb-sized piece ginger, grated or finely chopped
½ bunch coriander, stems finely chopped & leaves picked
1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
1 stick lemongrass, bruised
2 tablespoons macadamias, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons turmeric
400ml reduced-fat coconut milk
500mL reduced-salt chicken stock
100g thick, flat rice noodles
2 bunches bok choy, quartered
400g peeled prawns
2 cups beans sprouts
1 lime, cut into wedges

Method:
1. Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots, garlic, ginger, coriander stems, chilli, lemongrass and macadamias. Cook, stirring, for 2-3 minutes or until fragrant. Stir in the fish sauce, brown sugar and turmeric until dissolved. Add the coconut milk and chicken stock and stir to combine.

2. Bring the soup broth to a simmer. Add the prawns and cook for 3-4 minutes or until prawns are just cooked. Add bok choy for the last minute of cooking.

3. Meanwhile, cook noodles according to the packet directions.

4. Divide noodles, prawns and bok choy between serving bowls. Pour over soup broth. Top with bean sprouts and coriander leaves. Serve with lime wedges.

Add to one pot, and you’ve got yourself a soup.

PHOTO: James Knowler / JK+Crew

Themis is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and managing director of Sprout. He loves good food, great wine and sharing these with friends and family.  He is passionate about food and health and helping others to understand how these can be enjoyed together!

Callum, a cook and author, founded and operates Sprout with Themis. He draws his inspiration from the seasons and using the best possible local produce. He loves to show people how easy it can be to create quick, delicious and healthy meals.

Visit I Choose SA to find out how you can support our state by choosing South Australian businesses, products and services.

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by brandsa2018

Mt Gambier theatre company immerses audience inside dark and dangerous world

A gripping theatre production that uses virtual reality technology to immerse audiences inside the world of ice addiction will premiere in Mt Gambier next month.

The stage of the town’s Sir Robert Helpmann Theatre will host an insight into how lives are destroyed by methamphetamine, a drug considered rife in some regional towns across the country.

Mt Gambier-based Gener8 Theatre will present In The Pines, a fictional, yet confronting performance that involved extensive community consultation and incorporates the use of virtual reality (VR) headsets.

Director and producer Jamie Harding says the use of VR headsets has created a highly immersive and synced experience that’s “never before been attempted in Australian theatre”.

‘In The Pines’ will premiere next month in Mt Gambier.

“In the first half of the performance, the audience sits in a circle on stage to replicate the 360-degree experience,” he says.

“Then in the second half, the audience puts on VR headsets and steps inside the film – they’re like a fly on the wall.

“We take them on a journey they’re not going to expect.”

In The Pines, originally named Cold As Ice, has taken three years to pull together and aims to create open community discussions around the impacts of ice addiction.

The scourge of ice continues to affect communities across the country and is often referred to as an epidemic.

Jamie says he was unaware of how prevalent ice addiction was until he held a week-long community forum in 2015 to discover common themes and stories from locals in his town.

“We discovered that ice was a major issue and from there we started to research and found out that it was a national problem,” he says.

“I thought it was vital to then interview people about it, so we spoke to more than 60 people, including parents of ice addicts, prisoners and police officers, about the drug.

“This show has been a great vehicle to drive discussion about the issue.”

John Crouch, left, and Jamie Harding with the VR gear.

Working alongside fellow accomplished actor and local high school teacher John Crouch, Jamie adopted a creative team to help take the issue to the stage.

He says he was inspired to incorporate VR into the performance after watching a VR production in Adelaide about the 2005 London bombings.

“The audience was taken on a trip on the London Underground, so it put you right there – it was really haunting,” Jamie says.

“There was something about it that really had me. I walked out onto North Terrace and something shifted inside me, it made me look at the streets of Adelaide in a different way.

“I joined the dots and realised that I wanted to immerse the audience inside my (In The Pines) story and get them to the point that I experienced.”

In The Pines features a cast of six actors. The plot centres around a married couple who make decisions that “draw them into a new and dangerous world”.

A scene from ‘In The Pines’.

Jamie describes the production as a “psychological thriller” that also explores how the economy of drugs can affect unsuspecting parts of a community.

In The Pines has already been shown to local audiences in its development stages to gage community feedback.

The show will premiere in Mt Gambier on August 23 with hopes of taking it to Adelaide and on tours of regional South Australia and the rest of the country.

Jamie says it’s his mantra to “turn the gaze to regional works” and to ensure country theatre productions make it to the spotlight.

Born in Naracoorte and growing up in Mt Gambier, Jamie says he was always passionate about the arts, becoming involved in the town’s now defunct Mainstreet Theatre Company after finishing high school.

Above: Audience reactions to development phases of In The Pines.

“I got to see the inner workings of a professional regional theatre company, I was like a sponge,” he says.

“It gave me the confidence to audition for Flinders University’s Drama Centre, so I gave it a go and never looked back.”

Jamie was lured back to Mt Gambier by John Crouch and together they worked on the Ruby Award-winning Colour Darker Than Black.

Jamie is also the artistic director at Ovation Centre of Performing Arts which has a presence in both Mt Gambier and Adelaide.

He wants to ensure young creatives realise that regional towns can also be thriving hubs full of creativity and culture.

“I want to inspire young makers and artists and have them realise they don’t have to move to the big smoke,” he says.

“Their stories can be told on state, national and why not even international stages.

“You can make it in the regions.”

Jamie thanked Arts SA, the Australia Council for the Arts, Country Arts SA, and various other groups that have provided funding and support.

For more information and booking details click here.

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Thousands of jobs for SA as BAE Systems wins $35 billion Future Frigates contract

Thousands of South Australian jobs have been secured in coming decades with BAE Systems announced as the winning tenderer of the $35 billion Future Frigates program.

The UK defence giant beat fierce competition from Spanish and Italian rivals to design the Royal Australian Navy’s fleet of nine highly-advanced ‘Hunter class’ global combat ships.

The Future Frigates contract is Australia’s largest peace-time warship building program, with construction of the fleet set to begin by 2020 by ASC Shipbuilding.

The program will create about 4000 Australian jobs, including 1500 at ASC at the Osborne Shipyards in northern Adelaide.

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In addition to the 1500 local jobs, another 600 jobs will be created in the development of the Osborne South shipyards.

Five-hundred Australian businesses, including 100 SA businesses, will be in the Hunter class supply chain.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, who is in Adelaide today for the announcement, told ABC Radio Adelaide that the government-owned ASC Shipbuilding will become a subsidiary of BAE throughout the build.

“What this will mean is that the Commonwealth Government will retain its sovereign share in ASC at all times,” he said.

“BAE will take responsibility for ASC during the period of the program to go right through into the 2030s, then the Commonwealth will resume ownership of ASC.”

BAE System Australia’s head of industrial strategy Sharon Wilson and I Choose SA ambassador told Brand SA News in February that the Future Frigates program would be the “envy of the world”.

SA Premier Steven Marshall says the state is now “unquestionably” the centre of naval shipbuilding in Australia.

He says many local businesses in the supply chain will win a share in the historic investment.

“This $35 billion program will deliver unprecedented economic benefit to the SA economy, with over 100 businesses already pre-qualifying with BAE to be part of the project,” Mr Marshall says.

He says significant challenges exist in ensuring SA has the skilled workforce necessary to deliver the project.

“That’s why more than 20,000 additional work-based apprenticeships and traineeships will be created in SA over the next four years …” Mr Marshall says.

“Apprenticeships are vital to building a skilled supply of workers for industry and this has never been more important as we move to a more diversified economy and to capitalise on major, long-term national defence contracts awarded to SA.”

The SEA5000 ship will be considered one of the world’s most advanced warships, and will be able to be used in non-warfare roles such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.

The Hunter class will enter service in the late 2020, replacing the eight Anzac frigates which have been in service since 1996.

Aside from BAE’s Sharon Wilson, ASC’s Jessica Caston was also an I Choose SA ambassador for shipbuilding and defence. Watch her story below.

Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.

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Port Lincoln students prepare for aquaculture workforce

Eyre Peninsula students will have access to hands-on training in the aquaculture industry through a partnership between the Port Lincoln High School and TAFE SA.

The joint initiative will allow senior students to enter the workforce earlier, with students able to complete a Certificate II in Aquaculture in Year 11.

By Year 12 students can then complete the units from the Diploma of Aquaculture at school, before completing the one-year diploma in six to eight months after graduation.

Students will then be equipped with the skills to enter the workforce or go on to study marine biology and aquaculture at Flinders University.

Previously, students were only able to complete the Certificate II at school before waiting until finishing school to tackle the diploma.

The majority of training will be undertaken at the Port Lincoln High School’s aquaculture training facility.

Port Lincoln is regarded as the seafood capital of Australia and is home to one of the largest fishing fleets in the southern hemisphere.

Photo: PIRSA.

TAFE SA aquaculture lecturer Brent Smith says with continued growth in seafood demand domestically and globally, it’s more important than ever to ensure the future aquaculture workforce has the highest level of skill and training.

“More than 2/3 of the state’s aquaculture workforce is employed in the Eyre Peninsula region alone,” he says.

“There is strong demand for workers on tuna, mussel, oyster, kingfish and abalone farms as well as many more in hatcheries, processing, marketing, transport and other related activities.”

Students will learn a range of skills including filleting fish, feeding, handling and harvesting stock, developing an aquaculture breeding strategy and various other maritime skills.

Port Lincoln High School aquaculture teacher Chris McGown says the partnership with TAFE SA will give students the basic skills needed to work in the industry or pursue further study.

“We have a massive aquaculture industry on our doorstep – most of the town is employed in some way through aquaculture,” he says.

“There are oysters, abalone, and tuna farms as well as factory workers – there is an abundance of opportunities and students haven’t previously had access to this sort of pathway.”

According to the Department of Primary Industries and Research SA (PIRSA), the aquaculture industry is one of the largest primary production sectors in the state.

The majority of SA’s aquaculture farming lies in the coastal waters of the Eyre Peninsula, while 81% of the state’s regional aquaculture workforce is employed in the region.

For more information visit the TAFE SA website.

Want to know what it’s like to work in Port Lincoln’s seafood industry? Check out the I Choose SA video below!

Visit I Choose SA to meet the people building business and industry in SA, and to find out how your choices make a difference to our state.

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by brandsa2018

Adelaide innovation firm finds solutions in the digital age

Digital innovation firm Enabled Solutions began as a two-man, home-based operation and is now celebrating almost 20 years in the game.

The Adelaide business and its team of 16 designers, software developers and business consultants, has taken on clients as close as down the road and as far as around the globe.

Over the past two decades it’s built relationships with some of South Australia’s most renowned businesses, helping bring them into the digital age by developing apps, software and digital experiences.

In 2016, Enabled celebrated a successful development with Adelaide-based Coopers Brewery involving the world’s first fully automated home brewing machine.

Through the BrewArt home brewing kit, home brewers can monitor their batch anywhere and at any time via a smartphone app.

Enabled also marked its place in the digital innovation space through its works with a string of other local companies, including Seeley International, Clipsal and the RAA.

The southern suburb-based agency developed the RAA’s app, myRAA, removing the need for members to carry a membership card and allowing benefits and competitions to be more easily accessed.

Enabled Solutions CEO Grant Hull says Adelaide’s size makes for great networking and business opportunities.

He also says the city is a perfect breeding ground for tech start-ups and entrepreneurs and that it’s becoming increasingly renowned for the sector.

“There is a tremendous amount of opportunity wherever you are in the world, but in SA there has always been enough work for us at Enabled,” Grant says.

“There seems to be a reputation building in SA and it’s reaching a point of substance.”

Adelaide’s brightest thinkers, budding entrepreneurs and innovation leaders are set to bring their ideas to the table in July through the city’s Entrepreneur’s Week and Hybrid World.

The Enabled Solutions team at the Malvern studio.

Grant co-founded Enabled Solutions with a university classmate in 1999 with little more than a desktop computer.

Their client base grew, as did their reputation for being one of the first movers in app development and mobile technology.

Grant’s brother Craig joined the business after some time and Enabled has since gone on receive a number of accolades in the tech space.

Recently, its internal culture book won an award of excellence in Corporate Communications Category at the 2018 Communicator Awards.

Grant also has strong ties to SA’s three universities, the University of Adelaide, UniSA, and Flinders University.

For the past four years he’s been a lecturer at the University of Adelaide’s annual Australian Tech eChallenge, which allows entrepreneurs to pitch their ideas to a panel of judges and potential investors.

Grant says partnering with the state’s universities is not only a way for him to “give back” but also allows him to search for the next generation of potential employees.

“When you head up a business, you’re passionate about your own team, but you also think about how you can bring more great people on board, and working with the universities is one way to do that,” he says.

“Also, when you’re working with large businesses they don’t want you to play with their business, they don’t want mistakes.

“So (by working with universities) you can experiment with what works and what doesn’t – it’s a proving ground.”

Grant says many local entrepreneurs and tech-start ups launch their businesses in Silicon Valley in the US which is regarded as the global tech hotspot.

“A number of people go to Silicon Valley and raise enough capital before realising that rent is through the roof,” he says.

“There are opportunities here in Adelaide. I think we’re doing quite well here in SA. We’re self-sufficient inventors.”

Header photo: Enabled Solutions co-founders Grant Hull, left, and Craig Hull.

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