Four South Australians are among the latest cohort of graduates to join global defence company Nova Systems and gain the vital skills and experience needed to pursue a career in the defence industry.

The South Australian-based company, which focuses on providing engineering and technology solutions for Defence and other sectors, recently on-boarded 34 new graduates nationally as part of its award-winning graduate program.

The graduates come from diverse backgrounds in integrated logistics support, engineering, project management and finance, and will rotate work placements across varied markets in the business, ranging from Defence to emergency services and space-related projects.

Nova Systems chief executive officer Jim McDowell welcomed the graduates, emphasising the importance of engaging bright young people in the company.

“To ensure Australia has the skills we need for the future, we have to invest, develop and nurture the brightest minds of graduates today,” Mr McDowell said.

“The Nova Systems graduates keep us on our toes as they see things differently and challenge our way of thinking. We embrace the opportunity to teach and mentor as much as we embrace the opportunity to be challenged ourselves”.

Over 100 graduates have joined the company’s specially designed program since it started in 2016. Of the latest graduates, 12 will start in Canberra, 15 in Melbourne, three in Brisbane and four in Adelaide.

New-starters at the Adelaide-based office include Mustapha Chahine, who recently completed an aerospace internship with Defence Science and Technology’s Resilient Flight Control program, as well as Jayden Stevens, mechanical engineering and finance graduate who returns after completing work experience at the business during 2019 and 2020.

The Nova Systems Graduate Program was recently recognised as one of the Fast Movers in GradAustralia’s Top 100 Graduate Employers of 2022.

As the new academic year begins, students can begin planning their own bright future, as applications for the program open in early April 2022.