Electronics: hot industry in SA

If results of a South Australian survey released recently are anything to go by, South Australia is harbouring an unknown high tech industry in Adelaide's suburbs.

When respondents were asked to name the three most important industries in South Australia, electronics came in 12th.

The top three spots went to the automotive, agricultural and wine industries, despite the fact that electronics produces similar revenue to the wine industry and employs twice as many people with a growth rate the envy of many others.

The survey was part of the March McGregor Tan Household Omnibus Survey, where a number of questions were asked of 400 Adelaide adults (aged 18 and over) for the Electronics Industry Association (EIA) in order to investigate community perceptions towards the electronics industry.

On a positive note, when the industry was described to respondents, two thirds of those surveyed also indicated that they would be likely to recommend a career in the electronics industry and held a very positive perception of the industry. Respondents also ranked the electronics industry in terms of importance, ahead of the retail, hospitality, fisheries/aquaculture and education industries.

The results are vitally important for the electronics industry in South Australia. It is on the brink of one of its largest ever growth curves, which if successful will see it become the State's leading export industry by 2015. Formulation of this bold but realistic growth target has been developed as a result of a comprehensive 2004 ICT Survey and extrapolation of these figures into the Export Council's export projections.

A critical factor that will ensure the success of this growth is a steady supply of appropriately skilled staff. Currently many electronics engineers are recruited from interstate and overseas. This is an issue that the EIA has been addressing for the past two years, culminating in the creation of the Electronics Industry Education Initiative (ei)2.

"Many people don't realise that there are more than 400 electronics companies in South Australia and that 8,900 people are employed," said EIA executive director Jason Kuchel. "However our electronics industry struggles for recognition because it mainly sells electronics parts to other businesses."

"However when young people and their parents learn about the size and career opportunities available in the electronics industry they become very interested," added Mr Kuchel. "Most career paths in electronics will lead to a career packed with exciting leading edge technology projects, international travel and great pay. It will be anything but ordinary, so who wouldn't be interested."

Kuchel went on to explain that this is the message that the EIA is broadcasting as it attempts to shed the unflattering and outdated perception of electronics professionals as soldering iron crazed nerds. "These days you're more likely to find outgoing, intelligent, sophisticated young people who work in the recently created fields of nanotechnology, photonics, biotechnology, optoelectronics or robotics," he explained.