Newcastle’s engineering community have been hard at work for the start of quarter two, hosting our Chief Engineer Katherine Richards and contributing to the NSW Asks of Government paper which will serve as the foundation for our advocacy work in the region. Read more about our efforts below.
Chief Engineer visits Newcastle
During her trip to Newcastle in April, Engineers Australia Chief Engineer Katherine Richards AM CSC toured NIER, meeting with key stakeholders and other representatives from the University of Newcastle.
The visit was an opportunity for Katherine, Helen Link - Newcastle General Manager and Karina Curtis - Newcastle Stakeholder Engagement Manager, to learn more about Newcastle's’ regional capability in energy, engineering and advanced manufacturing.
The visit opened the door for strategic discussion with key regional leaders, deepening Engineers Australia's connection with this regional branch of the profession.
NIER exists to undertake innovative research for new energy solutions, and to promote the reduction of energy usage in the resources sector. It does this by bringing together industry and academic experts to translate applied research into usable technology.
Ms. Richards was able to have a series of one-on-one meetings with senior leaders and academics from the University of Newcastle.
Her visit included a demonstration from students involved in the National Science and Engineering Challenge. A challenge that has been running since 2000, founded by the University of Newcastle and designed to inspire Year 10 students to pursue science and engineering careers.
At the IPWEA NSW & ACT State Conference the following day, Ms. Richards addressed keen engineers during her keynote speech about what it takes to deliver future ready infrastructure.
She said one of the highlights was hearing from young engineers working in local government, solving real problems at a grassroots level.
“The task ahead is not simply to build more, but to build infrastructure that is resilient, adaptable and trusted.”
Her keynote called for more local councils to sponsor engineering cadetship programs with local universities, providing pathways that allow students to study for an engineering degree while working full time and graduating with no HECS debt.
If any Newcastle region business is looking to fill work experience placements and are interested in connecting with our student or overseas qualified members at Engineers Australia please get in touch with [email protected] for more information.
Asks for NSW Government
Newcastle and Sydney divisions have collaborated to create the NSW asks of government for the engineering profession document.
Together the divisions are calling on the NSW Government to adopt the following four strategies to strengthen the engineering workforce in NSW and secure its future.
NSW has nearly 135,000 engineers active in the labour force, working on everything from infrastructure to manufacturing. To support a range of industries, we know a strong and diverse engineering workforce across regional NSW remains essential.
Our first call is for government to help bolster engineering capability across regional NSW.
This involves creating more opportunities for overseas-qualified engineers to connect with regional employers, providing financial incentives for engineering professionals to relocate to regional centres, and promoting regional career pathways to metro graduates and engineering students.
Enhancing infrastructure sustainability and productivity is our second call.
We’re asking government to promote modern methods of construction, to embed circular economy principles and decarbonisation into projects, and to standardise project documentation for clarity and efficiency.
Our third ask of government is to expand governmental engineering roles across all levels. This visibility and ongoing involvement of engineers would reduce risk, enhance project quality and prevent cost overruns.
Finally, we ask the NSW Government to increase workplace opportunity for student and graduate engineers.
This involves expanding the number of places in the ‘engineering’ stream of the NSW Government Graduate Program. To go even further we’ve requested internship placement requirements to be criterion for government contracts.
These asks will underpin our conversations and advocacy work with the NSW Government across the coming year.
Other key Newcastle updates
The Newcastle team recently attended the Mentor Support Scholarship presentation. This year 52 students from 17 schools across the Hunter region received financial support to keep them in school and some of the students were able to share the difference it made to their studies and general confidence. The Newcastle office supports this initiative by offering our office up for student interviews, which helps to determine the scholarships.
We’ve also got some key events coming up in the next few months including International Women in Engineering Day and the Newcastle Engineering Ball, keep an eye out in Engineering News for even more events we’re hosting locally.
If you haven't already get your nominations in for the Newcastle Excellence Awards, we’re looking for people and project nominations that outline how the nominee is driving the profession forward.