By Tess Ikonomou in Canberra (updated 2.15pm)

AUSTRALIA must ramp up skills training and reshape higher education to deliver the jobs required to build, maintain and operate nuclear submarines.

The submarines deal with the US and Britain is expected to create about 20,000 jobs for Australian workers over the next three decades.

National security expert John Blaxland said the tertiary education sector would be crucial to the boost.

“That’s a tall order,” he said of the employment requirements.

“Our university sector has been for the last 18 months doing some deep thinking about how we generate from scratch, nuclear physicists, nuclear scientists, nuclear engineers.

“This is enormous. It’s going to involve co-operation and collaboration across the states and territories as well.”

At its height, up to 8500 Australian jobs will be supported to build and maintain the boats and will include scientists, engineers, project managers, and other trades workers.

Thousands of workers will be needed to support growing supply chains, shipyards, and technical bases.

Chennupati Jagadish from the Australian Academy of Science warned the country was overly dependent on overseas workers and lacked the capacity to train nuclear scientists.

“Building capability in nuclear science will be central to achieving the aims of the Australian government in developing a nuclear-powered submarine capability,” he said.

“Nuclear science in Australia faces a skills crisis. We are significantly behind our peer nations in national nuclear and radiation science capability.”

Deputy Liberal Leader Sussan Ley pledged to hold the government to account on its labour-force plan.

“I want to see as many future Australian workers benefit, whether it be welders or whether it be nuclear physicists or those in the aerospace industry or everything in between,” she said.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, US President Joe Biden, and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will unveil the “optimal pathway” for the submarines under the AUKUS partnership in San Diego, California on Tuesday.

Australia is expected to buy up to five US Virginia class submarines before acquiring a new vessel based on UK design and US technology.

The submarines could come with a $200 billion price tag.