Weld Australia has partnered with the Australian Academy of Welding Technology (AAWT) to use the new Adelaide facility as its primary training centre in South Australia, as demand for skilled welders grows alongside major defence and infrastructure projects.
In a media release, Weld Australia said it has signed an agreement with AAWT and become a foundation partner ahead of the facility’s opening on 5 October 2026.
Developed by Global Welding Technologies Group Pty Ltd (W.E.S.S.) and supported by Defence grant funding, the facility includes fully equipped welding bays, Industry 4.0 welding technology, digital monitoring and traceability systems, fume extraction and a classroom accommodating up to 20 students.
The partnership will expand Weld Australia’s training capacity in South Australia, with the organisation pointing to a projected national shortage of tens of thousands of skilled welders over the coming decade.
Weld Australia said demand is expected to increase as projects including the AUKUS nuclear-powered submarine program at Osborne, the Torrens to Darlington (T2D) Project and Northern Water progress.
“This partnership gives Weld Australia access to a genuinely world-class training environment, right in the heart of the state where demand for skilled welders is acute,” said Ben Mitchell, Director, Strategic Partnerships at Weld Australia.
Mitchell said the facility would allow trainees to work with equipment and technologies relevant to major defence and infrastructure projects.
“You cannot train a welder for the technologies of tomorrow on the equipment of yesterday,” he said. “The investment W.E.S.S. has made in this facility, from advanced waveform-controlled welding machines to digital monitoring and traceability systems, means trainees will work with exactly the kind of technology they’ll encounter on defence and major infrastructure projects.”
Weld Australia also acknowledged W.E.S.S.’s investment in developing the facility and its support through Defence grant funding.
David Wilton, Managing Director of W.E.S.S., said the company was pleased to work with Weld Australia to support the industrial, manufacturing and vocational education sectors.
“We are delighted to have an agreement with Weld Australia to utilise our new AAWT, state-of-the-art training facility and together support Australia’s industrial, manufacturing and vocational education sectors,” Wilton said.
Weld Australia will begin delivering training programs at the AAWT from October 2026, with its schedule to be progressively expanded in line with industry demand.
