Gosford City Council is helping to shape the future of engineering talent in Australia – and in turn accessing the highest calibre candidates for projects and future roles – by offering up to 18 University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Engineering Internship places annually.
A long-term partner of the UTS Engineering Internship Program, Council has placed over 180 student interns since 1996, benefitting from their up to date knowledge and fresh approach and providing them with opportunities to gain valuable project and workforce experience.
Council’s Coordinator for Engineering Investigations, Margie Azmi, said the program was a great solution to the shortage of professional engineers with suitable experience for jobs in local government.
“The idea is that when we advertise our vacancies we should be able to attract applications from a pool of candidates of the right calibre.
“I am satisfied knowing that we are contributing towards the growth and development of the young engineers. It is hoped that they too will do the same when they get further into their careers and become the decision makers.
Industry Liaison Manager at UTS: Engineering and IT, Maritz Messina, said Gosford City Council was one of hundreds of organisations to have discovered this ‘smart, flexible and affordable way’ to increase the pool of engineering talent and help train Australia’s future workforce.
“With the current shortage of qualified and experienced engineers set to continue, participating organisations also get a jump on graduate recruitment, with many students choosing to work for companies they formed relationships with through the program.”
Former UTS Engineering student Phillip Rudd, who completed both his internships with Gosford City Council, is now employed as Council’s Engineer Technical Support – Electrical, and is currently also acting in a manager’s role within the Water and Sewer directorate. As one of a number of student interns who have gone on to secure engineering roles at Gosford, Mr Rudd said he has seen the benefits of the program from both angles.
“Having been through the UTS internship program, and also being involved with many UTS student engineers over the years, I believe the program is a great advantage to both the individual student and also the greater industry.
“The program and Council’s involvement allows students to have a greater understanding of the practical aspects of being an engineer with real hands on experience across a number of engineering disciplines. It allows students to start to link their theoretical knowledge to practical implementation whilst achieving an appreciation of the breadth of their engineering discipline.”
UTS’s distinctive five-year engineering program sees all Bachelor of Engineering, Diploma of Engineering Practice students completing two six-month periods of internship as part of their studies. This experience allows them to put theoretical knowledge into practice, and contributes to a graduate employment rate of around 90 percent – significantly higher than the national average.
