From serving to servicing – A veteran’s transition from Navy to civilian life with the Anzac-class

Four months after leaving his role as a marine technician on a Royal Australian Navy Anzac-class frigate, Nathan returned to work on the very same fleet as a BAE Systems Australia employee responsible for the safety of all who sustain each ship at Henderson Naval Shipyard in Western Australia.

“One of my mates worked here and it just made sense to use the skillset I developed in the Navy to work in a civilian role - and still get to work with the Navy too,” says Nathan, who made the transition from services to sustainment in June 2018.

BAE Systems Australia supports the Anzac-class fleet through its partnership with the Commonwealth of Australia, SAAB Australia and Naval Ship Management under the Warship Asset Management Agreement (WAMA) Alliance..

During his time with the Navy, Nathan was responsible for tasks including maintaining the ship’s maintained propulsion systems as a Marine Systems Manager (MSM).?As an isolation technician with BAE Systems Australia, Nathan is responsible for isolating ships systems and issuing Permits To Work (PTW) to work parties and contractors, allowing them to operate safely on board.

“The roles are similar though working with defence as a civilian took a bit of getting used to,” he says.

“When you’re in the Navy, there’s a rank structure – you have to go through the chain of command. With BAE Systems, that barrier is broken down and you’re able to speak directly with engineers, something I’m still learning to do!?I didn’t have a lot to do with the electrical side of things previously, so my development and knowledge has grown at BAE Systems.”

Nathan continues to work closely with his former Navy colleagues and the pride of completing a project is what he enjoys the most.

“I still work closely with - and have a rapport with - the marine technicians coming from the Anzacs. Having people I know in defence makes it easy to communicate as we work toward a shared goal,” he says.

“When I see a vessel push off the wharf at the end of a project, I feel satisfaction knowing that I helped deliver that ship on time. I know what it means to the crew to reclaim their vessel and continue their work at sea, so it’s a great feeling to still have a role to play.”

The WAMA Alliance directly employs more than 800 people and has successfully completed the AMCAP upgrade to 4 of the 8 Anzac class vessels with 3 currently work in progress. The Alliance continues to deliver breakthrough performance with a highly skilled team and a shared focus on collaboration.

“Whether it’s someone going in to clean a fuel tank or ripping generators out, each stakeholder within WAMA brings a particular skillset to achieve a common goal.”

BAE Systems Australia is a leading employer of defence force veterans and was recently recognised as winner of the Prime Minister’s Veteran Employer of the Year awards – large employer Category. About 10% of the company’s 5000 employees are former Australian Defence Force recruits.

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