Engineering student Chanelle Harvey is gearing up for a career as an electrical engineerCentral Queensland University student Chanelle Harvey is not only a high-achieving student, but also a woman with long-term ambitions.

Highlighting 2007 as the Year of Women in Engineering (as nominated by Engineers Australia), Chanelle intends to make it big in a male-dominated career.

Following in her father and brothers' footsteps, Chanelle has a career in electrical engineering in sight with only 6 months of a 4.5-year Bachelor of Engineering Co-op Degree to go.

With a tertiary entrance score of OP2, Ms Harvey's career options were wide, but she was convinced on following a family tradition and entering the world of engineering - a choice that contradicts the national trend. According to Engineers Australia, women currently represent less than 10% of the engineering workforce in Australia - the lowest participation rates by women across all professions.

"Being female in a male dominated field was initially a little daunting, but I get along really well with everyone and I am treated as an equal which is great," Ms Harvey said.

"Engineering is a fantastic degree for both men and women. The number of women in the course is growing each year, which is terrific."

In term 1 of 2007, 13% of students in CQU's professional engineering programs were female.

"There is never a dull moment in engineering - there are always problems to be solved. You get to use so many different sets of skills in the one job."

With an international shortage of engineers, good engineers are in very high demand, none more so that CQU graduates.

"Employers love CQU engineers because we are better equipped to deal with unfamiliar situations and tackle problems. The project based learning allows us to develop skills to handle difficult situations and work effectively in teams to solve problems and meet deadlines.

"And the Engineering Co-op program is excellent as it ensures we have at least one year's paid work experience before we graduate. I have completed work with several different companies so far, and thoroughly enjoyed all my experiences.

Ms Harvey has been chosen to work as an electrical engineer in the UK for the final 6 months of her degree, as part of her second Co-op placement. She will be working for Optima, a company who facilitate the maintenance and improvement of the motorways and highways throughout the UK. Different to her previous work experiences, she is looking forward to working for a company that is at the cutting edge of traffic management technology.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me to develop as an engineer and an individual. I am really looking forward to the experience."