Melbourne Water
Jarrod Mitchell explains how the professional placements program is developing the next generation of engineers.
"Melbourne Water has been a partner with Swinburne for more than 10 years now with great success.
The role in my team was traditionally thought to be too complex for an undergraduate, however we tested this last year with a student from the program and he delivered great results for our team and proved just how dynamic students can be.
The placement students within my team are often in the thick of it, managing complex projects and negotiating outcomes for our customers and the community."
"They take on the full breadth of their role which may include drainage engineering, planning, relationship management and managing customer expectations.
Specifically these tasks include managing greenfield development planning applications and setting drainage conditions on planning permits, undertaking an assessment of hydraulic modelling, ensuring drainage assets are functional in design and meeting Melbourne Water and State government requirements.
The students align to Melbourne Water's core development programs like the rest of our employees. This is called POD – Performance, Opportunity and Development.
POD is managed through our Career Development Centre at Melbourne Water and is about giving everyone the opportunity to reach their full potential by engaging in regular conversations between employees and managers, setting realistic goals and creating development plans that support growth now and in the future.
Through the placement the students gain real life experience that will help them break into permanent roles across many industries.
The professional placements program is an excellent program for Melbourne Water to develop the next generation of engineers and show them how they can be part of creating future communities using their engineering skills and fostering relationships with the land development industry."
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"80% of students that have been on the program over the past 10 years are in permanent Melbourne Water roles which shows how well the program is working for us and that young engineers want to stay."
Jarrod Mitchell , Melbourne Water
"Industry can gain some great young minds to help them deliver their services, whilst also influencing new talent with their future career path. An additional benefit we have found is that our junior engineers desire to train and mentor the students which in turn helps them personally develop leadership and coaching skills."
Title: Professional Placement at Melbourne Water
Author(s): Professional Placements
Year: 2018
Audio/video for this transcript available from: http://commons.swinburne.edu.au
Jessica
I chose to study at Swinburne because I heard they're well known for their practical learningexperience. What I didn't realize is that this practical learning experience also involves this placement program and work integrated learning.
My role at Melbourne Water is that I work within the development services team as a student urbangrowth officer. The main reason I decided to undertake a professional placement is to give me clarity within my engineering career.
One of the main forms of communication within my role is holding meetings. Now this has been quitechallenging as a student. But in the end, it's been great for my development and my confidence within my role.
Jarrod
We support Jess through formal training and development and coaching, but also sort of mentoring with the other parts of the team. Jess has really developed her technical skills, but more importantly to us is her customer relationship management skills.
All the students that have come through this program have been able to gain full time employment with Melbourne Water or within the industry, which is a really great outcome. We just really encourage students, no matter where they think they sit, to really have a go and they’d be surprised what they can achieve.
The Professional Placements program, I think, is an excellent program for not only us but the students themselves. It helps them really drive where they want to go in their careers and test out what our organization is like and what capabilities they have, but what they need to gain in the future.
Jessica
Throughout my placement, I've always felt supported by Swinburne and Melbourne Water. This is through my academic supervisor and my industry supervisor. They are always there to help me with support and advice whenever I need.
The application process for the Placements Program is simple. All you have to do is register your interest to see if you're eligible. And if you are, the Professional Placements team will help you along the way to secure a placement. This Professional Placement has been really beneficial for me, and I really encourage other students to take this opportunity and go for it.
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