Saab partnership to support female athletes
Saab Australia and Paradigm Shift Sports have launched a new partnership to support elite athletes develop careers outside of sport.
The program will provide female athletes with access to skills and network
development opportunities through scholarships and paid employment at
the global defence and technology company, while supporting professional development activities for Saab’s more than 1,000 Australian employees.
The partnership has several key elements:
- Supporting female athletes to demonstrate their skills in Europe through
a scholarship - Providing female athletes with opportunities to work as undergraduates
or graduates in areas directly linked to their field of study such as
engineering - Creating opportunities to build personal networks and skills to support the
transition from professional sports into employment.
Saab Australia Managing Director, Andy Keough CSC, said the values that propel elite athletes to the top of their sport closely aligned with Saab’s values of trust, expertise and drive.
“Through this partnership we’ll be able to create job pathways for women while they’re studying and competing, but also create opportunities for Saab employees to learn from people who have competed at the highest levels in elite sport,” said
Mr Keough.
PSS founder and former track cycling world champion, Annette Edmondson, welcomed the Saab partnership and said it would have an immediate impact on young athletes.
“The transition from elite sport to a successful new career can be challenging for many people so it’s fantastic to be introducing young athletes to future opportunities while they’re still competing at the highest level,” said Annette.
“Providing young cyclists with direct links into a high performing business like Saab will be enormously beneficial to the athletes and the business.”
The partnership is already paying dividends for Saab and young female athletes like track cyclist and mechatronics engineering student, Alex Martin-Wallace.
Alex is the first participant in the Saab partnership through a paid internship with the company’s Future Naval Systems and Autonomy team and has been able to balance work, study and cycling.
“Working at Saab has provided me with invaluable experience that has not only supported my sporting aspirations but has also allowed me to broaden my understanding of the engineering field,” said Alex.
“The financial support has allowed me to feel secure, which is a position that can be hard to come by as a female athlete. The level of flexibility that Saab has given me allows me to intertwine my work, training and racing so that I can get the best out of myself in all areas. Their belief in me to work hard has fuelled me to get the most out of myself and make the most of the opportunity.
“The work I have been able to do as part of the growing Autonomous Systems Group has been incredibly interesting to me, and it has been exciting to have a look into new projects.
“The experience has given me the confidence to know that I can apply the skills I have to contribute to engineering and society, and has given me the certainty that I want to make engineering a long-term career.”