Austal seeking hundreds of WA workers

Austal is on a recruitment drive for an extra 260 Western Australian workers to fill vacancies at its Henderson facility.

In a statement, the company said it required the extra employees as a result of expanding from two to three facilities across Henderson and Naval Base.

Austal is specifically focusing on boosting workforce gender diversity as part of its Pink Ship Program, which aims to increase female participation across every department from current levels of 12 per cent to at least 20 per cent.

The local shipbuilder is seeking to hire 45 female apprentices in 2019 and to date has filled 18 of those roles.

Premier Mark McGowan said the announcement aligned with the state government’s initiative to work with industry to create more local job opportunities

"With 260 local jobs on offer at the Henderson facility, now is the time to ensure WA workers have the skills to access the opportunities in the defence and shipbuilding industries," he said.

"Austal is committed to increasing women representation in the workforce and encouraging a positive cultural change across an industry that has been traditionally male dominated.”

In 2017, Austal chief executive David Singleton told Business News work on offshore patrol vessels for the Royal Australian Navy, which was due to commence in 2020, would create approximately 100 apprenticeships in WA.

Shares in Austal finished trade up 2.22 per cent at $2.30 each.