Ascertaining the risk and understanding the effect of flow accelerator corrosion at Mica Creek is all in a day's work for Central Queensland University student Bob Engwicht (pictured).

Bob has been working with Alf Little for the past nine months as part of CQU’s Cooperative Education scheme.

He is nearing the end of his time at Mica Creek and has enjoyed the role because “there is ancient plant, and its life is being extended, and there is new plant with commissioning problems. It’s an engineer’s dream”.

The Co-op student is in his final year in Mechanical Engineering at Central Queensland University and is completing his final-year project at Mica Creek.

His supervisor is Rod Edwards, from the James Goldston Faculty of Engineering and Physical Systems at CQU.

"At Central Queensland University we recognise that our geographic location in the middle of a large concentration of world class mining and process industries gives us a great platform to build strong relationships with industry," Mr Edwards said.

"In particular our engineering courses and research are strongly integrated with industry.” CQU Bachelor of Engineering students are involved in Co-operative Education, which is a process of integrating classroom learning with learning on the job.

Students are required to spend two separate six-month periods in full-time work in industry.

The university arranges the positions with a growing band of industry partners.

“Partnerships with companies such as CS Energy at Mica Creek Power Station are an essential part of Co-operative Education," Mr Edwards said.

"In class and on the job our students learn the skills and attitudes needed by engineers in companies such as CS Energy. Our graduates are ‘work ready’ and immediately useful so their employment rates are high.” CQU was one of only three universities in Australia to record a 100% employment rate in the 2003 Graduate Engineer Employment Survey run by APESMA.

“The research we do is also clearly focused on industry. In fact, partnerships formed through Co-operative Education students working in industry regularly lead to research projects of mutual benefit to both partners," Mr Edwards said.

Photo: The new plant’s commissioning problems are part of the engineering challenge at Mica Creek.