As the voice of the next generation of engineers in Australia, Young IPWEA provides a network for peers to share their experiences and overcome any perceived barriers which might prevent a long and successful career in engineering.
At the upcoming
IPWEA International Public Works Conference, held at Perth’s Exhibition and Conference Centre from 20-23 August, NSW YIPWEA representative Nicola Daaboul will present a paper about a subject the committee feel is paramount to the future of the industry: raising the portfolio of cadetships in engineering, particularly in local government.
In the paper, which was written by YIPWEA’s Hamish Scroope from Queanbeyan City Council, Daaboul explains why the committee believes cadetship programs can generally yield a better engineer than one who has simply completed a degree.
“You've got a lot of graduates coming straight out of university who are book smart but haven't got any practical experience, so there's a gap between what the university does to educate engineers and what the work force needs,” she explains. “We feel the best way around that is providing a cadetship where you're studying on the job and getting that practical application. From my personal experience, I studied on the job and worked full-time – if I hadn't had those experiences on the job I probably wouldn't have been able to finish my study, because I was learning as I went.”
Daaboul adds that cadetships could also be instrumental in combating the perceived skill shortage in NSW, especially in rural and regional areas.
“By employing cadetships, you're attracting local kids straight out of high school and they're actually having a career and being able to study in their own town,” she says. “It’s also promoting engineering as a career path in local government, because a lot of young professionals who think about engineering don't think about a career in local government as an option.”
Having put a submission in to the Minister of Local Governments NSW last year, NSW YIPWEA have this year run a survey of NSW councils addressing the subject.
“We asked them a number of questions around what they see the benefits of cadetships to be, whether they implement them, how they would like see them run, whether or not a how-to guide would assist them in implementing a cadetship,” says Daaboul. “Our aim is to get more information together to put another submission through to the minister to request funding to have a permanent cadetship placement for each council in NSW.”
Daaboul hopes that senior professionals in the industry will encourage any young professionals under their wing to attend the presentation and learn more about the benefits of cadetships, the difference they could make in a prospective engineer’s career and some of the reasons they perhaps haven’t worked in the past to ensure that any future cadetships are executed as effectively as possible.
“We want to see more encouragement of young professionals who are engaging in these sorts of things,” she says. “The key message underlying it all is just how important career development is and encouraging young professionals’ involvement in our industry.”