THERE is a shortage of engineers in regional areas.
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The infrastructure spend we are seeing in major cities is likely to continue and there is a pipeline of works planned into the next decade.
As regional areas see more growth, with people moving from major cities, there will be a wealth of opportunities for engineers across the country.
Addressing the regional shortage of engineers is one of the reasons Charles Sturt University established the school of engineering in Bathurst, now recognised as the most innovative engineering degree in Australia.
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The difference is that Charles Sturt University engineering students undertake four one-year paid work placements during their course and get support from several engineers in residence at the university, putting them way ahead of the game when it comes to practical industry experience.
Charles Sturt engineer in residence, Josh Devitt, based here in Bathurst, has more than 10 years' engineering experience in councils across NSW.
Josh's role at Charles Sturt is to give our students invaluable insights into industry standards and practices. His main areas of expertise are in civil design, construction and project management.
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Josh says engineering is all about problem-solving and using engineering skills to make real change to the world.
The program is unique in that it offers the opportunity to graduate with significant industry experience - something Josh sees as a huge benefit to CSU graduates.
"An engineer in residence is essentially someone who has a background in the industry who works alongside the academics here at Charles Sturt University in delivering the course," he said.
"There are several engineers in residence. Each has their own area of expertise. We are all involved in the design and delivery of curriculum around those areas.
"For example, I worked in engineering in local government for about 12 years specialising in project management, civil engineering design, and roads and transport before coming into the university. I work with students in various ways around those fields.
"We do a lot of project-based learning in the course, and when students work on a particular project, they can discuss their ideas with the engineer in residence who has expertise in the area their project is linked to.
"The advantage of being a regional-based engineer is that you get a really diverse range of skills.
"You get exposed to lots of different things, developing a skill set that you potentially wouldn't get working in a metropolitan area, where you might just be focused on the one thing.
"And that skill set can translate into any setting. So you're set up for a career where you can work in the regions but also the cities as well."
For more stories like this from Charles Sturt, go to https://insight.futurestudents.csu.edu.au/
