Stories

With the overall aim of providing support for greater representation of Indigenous Australians in the engineering industry, KBR recently sponsored and participated in the Victorian Indigenous Engineering Winter School (VIEWS) program. The VIEWS program is a collaboration between industry professionals and four Victorian universities to host students across Australia to offer invaluable professional and career development opportunities in the engineering industry.

During the week, students were encouraged to explore all facets of engineering across a number of different applications. The program included site visits to the Melbourne Metro Tunnel Project, Boeing and the University-run Formula SAE racing car team workshop. In addition, students attended demonstrations of 3D printing and scanning, a tour of a Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Laboratory, a sustainability workshop that covered developments in reusing and recycling plastics and a session on engineering in cybersecurity. These sight visits and workshops provided students with a first-hand insight into what it is like to work in engineering.

KBR employees James Plant and Carla Rossimel attended a number of initiatives throughout the week, including a presentation at Murrup Barak, Melbourne University’s Institute for Indigenous Development. The duo shared some of their experiences of working in engineering as well as some of the various projects they have worked on during their time at KBR. They also highlighted the positive impact that many of KBR’s projects have had on Australian communities throughout the years. The event concluded with a Q&A session where students had the opportunity to ask James and Carla about the roles of an engineer in design and construction, the different aspects of university life and their personal career progression story into the engineering industry.

James, Project Manager, said, “It’s great to see first-hand the genuine enthusiasm the students have for engineering and science! The VIEWS program certainly does a super job in creating an environment where students can engage with various engineering fields and gain an understanding of the opportunities they have in our industry.”

He continued, “Programs like these depend on industry support and it is great to see KBR leading the way in this area, striving for improved Indigenous Australian participation rates at our universities and across our industry.”

To acknowledge KBR’s contribution to the program, the VIEWS team presented Plant with a piece of indigenous artwork that proudly hangs at the KBR office in Melbourne.