It’s been a pretty exciting year for Young IPWEA – our first year as a national initiative!
It has been fantastic to be a part of something that has gained such a wide level of support and take-up across the industry in such a short timeframe. I think this highlights the notion that a group that focuses on the young professional cohort is truly important and valuable to the industry.
The
Darwin Public Works conference in August this year put Young IPWEA front and centre, which was a great opportunity for us to promote the idea to the wider membership. From here, we are harnessing the enthusiasm and momentum created in Darwin to further the success of the group across all Divisions.
One of the main goals of Young IPWEA right now is to be launched into New Zealand. We have our annual meeting coming up in November, where plans for this to happen will be discussed with the nominated NZ representation – so please keep your eyes and ears opened for Young IPWEA in NZ!
Marketing is one of the strongest factors, which can really help an initiative become successful, and we have been fortunate enough to have the assistance of Mahlab Media to assist us in this venture. The
Young IPWEA video put together by their team is fantastic and something we hope all of our members will be able to use to promote the group to their peers.
We have also begun to work with other young professional bodies, such as Young Engineers Australia, to establish ways we can collaborate for the benefit of the industry. One of the most important components to get across to the industry is the importance and benefits of joining IPWEA. The industry is starting to recognise that the Young IPWEA initiative is one of the key benefits to being a part of the organisation, and it is therefore very important that we deliver on all of our goals and actions.
It isn’t just the IPWEA committees who need to put in the time and effort to ensure that Public Works becomes a sustainable industry – it is, more importantly, the members who need to commit to the industry and the overall goals. I would personally like to encourage you all to get involved in some way and to also encourage those around you, particularly the younger professionals, to take the time and see the benefits for themselves.