Undergraduate Engineer - Peppertree Quarry
When did you start with Boral and what attracted you to join us?
I started with Boral in late January 2023 after working in civil construction for a few years alongside my university studies. I was fortunate enough that in 2020 Boral was a sponsor for the UTS Women in Engineering Co-op Scholarship. I feel very lucky that I've been given the opportunity to experience working for a company that has been operating in Australia for so many years. I've also always been interested in the production of the fundamental materials which drive the construction industry, particularly concrete and aggregates. I would love to get into the research aspect of this as I complete the final years of my engineering degree.
What is your current role and what does a typical ‘day in the life of’ for you involve?
I'm working as an undergraduate engineer at Boral's Peppertree Quarry. A typical day for me starts with our morning toolbox. I really enjoy having the opportunity to engage with the quarry team in an open environment. We have a very positive culture on site where we can have pretty constructive conversations around safety and systems improvement. As someone who's relatively new to the team, I'm trying my best to learn from as many people as possible, so I often get to have fresh experiences each day. Some aspects of my job that I enjoy include using our GPS systems for basic site survey, assisting with environmental monitoring and helping out with the coordination of blasts. I also love spreadsheets, so I've been getting involved with some of our quality, environment and safety tracking systems.
This year’s theme for IWD is #EmbraceEquity. What does equity mean for you?
To me equity is about equal opportunity, even if it means making changes to ingrained procedures and attitudes. In the end if people are given an equal opportunity to excel in their work, everyone is able to reap the benefits of diversity. At work, consultation and conversation is the key to achieving equity. Gaining different people's perspectives and attitudes leads to better decision making and more positive results for everyone.
What career advice would you share to other women?
I don't think anyone should be intimidated by stereotypes or expectations. Every person has something unique to bring to a team.
Engineering is a great career for women, especially for those with attention to detail. The best thing about engineering to me is getting to appreciate (and sometimes brag about) the results of your work. Overall, engineering is a career that has a great balance between creative and analytical thinking and ultimately there's never a dull moment working in an engineering role.