As we rapidly move through our first year of hosting on-campus students, we are consistently experiencing lots of ‘firsts’. In their first year of study, our students take part in a site-visit to gain a little insight into the engineering industry they have chosen.
CELEBRATION OF SUCCESS
Recently, one of our first-year Bachelor of Science (Civil and Structural Engineering) students, Hamza Baig completed his first industrial site-visit. I had the pleasure of interviewing Hamza, who was very excited to share his experience.
How did you know which companies to contact?
I went through the ‘top Australian companies’ contact list provided by the unit co-ordinator and highlighted those in Perth.
I then used the template letter on Moodle and sent Pro Build an email, introducing myself and requesting a day on-site. Within a very short time they replied, providing me with the site-manager’s details, who then put me in touch with the site co-ordinator. We confirmed and agreed I would be there at 9am, on Tuesday 11 September 2018.
Were you asked to wear any specific clothing?
I was asked to wear a long-sleeved shirt, long pants and safety boots. I explained that I did not have safety boots, and fortunately they had a spare pair I could borrow for the day.
How did you identify yourself when you arrived on site?
I wore my EIT student card around my neck. Both the site manager and the co-ordinator were interested in who EIT were, as they had not heard of our college. I explained that we are a well-established online engineering college, but that the campus in Perth only opened at the beginning of the year.
How did you spend your time on site?
I had the opportunity to visit two sites — one was a 35 floor apartment building currently being built at Elizabeth Quay, and the second was the Ritz Carlton Hotel site, next door, which has over 300 rooms.
I was provided with a hard hat, safety glasses, boots and a hi-vis jacket. I spent the day with two different site co-ordinators who were very happy to answer my many, many questions. They were very informative and I was also able to observe their meetings, where I met the site manager, who had ‘BOSS’ written on his hard-hat. He was also asking me questions about EIT.
I was surprised to learn there are so many different jobs for Civil engineers – covering IT, project management and design. The site office controlled and scheduled the work for the day. There were safety inductions and step-backs to identify safety risks.
Did this site-visit present any future opportunities, such as internships?
The ‘boss’ asked me how long I had been studying. He told me that when I am in my second year, there would be more opportunities for me to apply for an internship with their company, as they take on vacation internships over the college break. I will be in touch with him next year.
