Our students travel for Women in Engineering workshop
Published on 09 August, 2011
Four of our first-year Engineering students are among 200 female students attending the Women in Engineering Queensland workshop this week.
Aimed at increasing the number of women completing engineering studies in Queensland, the workshop, organised by the Queensland Resources Council (QRC), brings together female engineering students from Brisbane and regional universities.
The four talented female engineering students from CQUniversity have been selected to attend the workshop, thanks to support from Women Engineering Queensland sponsors.
"Currently, women represent just 13 per cent of engineers in QRC Member companies," said QRC Chief Executive Michael Roche.
"They also represent only around 16 per cent of engineering enrolments at CQUniversity and other Queensland universities on average," he said.
"With Queensland experiencing a significant shortage of engineers, it makes sense to do what we can to encourage more women to enter engineering degrees, and then complete them.
"This two-day workshop provides networking and mentoring opportunities for these young women, both with fellow female students and a range of highly qualified and experienced women working as engineers.
"I'm sure the students will be inspired by what they hear and the people they meet to pursue their engineering dreams."
"The CQUniversity students are excited by this opportunity to participate in the workshop as our four delegates have only just started their journey towards a career in engineering and the workshop will open their minds to the possibilities that await them," said CQUniversity Lecturer Dr Poh Teh.
CQUni Rockhampton student Georgina Cumming, originally of Emerald, has just embarked on her first year of engineering studies and has been sponsored to attend the workshop.
The talented 17-year-old has also recently picked up a QRC-CQUni scholarship worth up to $40,000, as she takes her first steps towards an engineering career within the resources sector.
"By attending the workshop I hope to meet women in the industry and make some contacts," said Ms Cumming.
"For me as a first-year student, I don't really know yet what engineering is all about and all its aspects, so I think talking to women in industry will really help."
The workshop, on August 1-2 at the Sofitel Hotel in Brisbane, has attracted about 200 female engineering students who will also attend the Peabody Energy Gala Networking evening at the hotel on August 1 as part of the event.
There, they will mingle with senior industry people, politicians, university staff and female engineers.
The event will be addressed by the Minister for Employment Skills and Mining Stirling Hinchliffe and 2010 Young Queenslander of the Year Yassmin Abdel-Magied.
Yassmin is founder and President of Youth Without Borders. She is a third-year Mechanical Engineering student at the University of Queensland and a recipient of the University's Deans Excellence scholarship. Yassmin also sits on the Boards of the Queensland Museum, the Queensland Design Council and the Youth Affairs Network of Queensland.
The Minister for Community Services and Housing and Minister for Women Karen Struthers will address the students on the second day of the workshop.
The students will also receive some hands-on engineering experience through visits to a number of locations around Brisbane, including the Trip-8 racing cars workshop, the Incitec fertiliser plant and the Caltex Lytton refinery.
"Support from the Officer for Women, who ran the event in 2007 and 2008 has been outstanding," said Mr Roche.
"The event also would not have been possible without the support of industry and university partners."
Event sponsors are:
Anglo American, Ausenco, BHP Billiton, Engineers Australia, Energex, MMG, Origin, Peabody Energy, SKM, the University of Queensland, Rowland and Xstrata Copper.