Power of Engineering Event

On 10 November, 29 St Paul's students from Year 8-10 attended an event in Maitland organised by the Power of Engineering (POE) which is a not for profit organisation established to connect Universities and Industry with school students who may be considering a career in an Engineering fiel

The event is unique in that it is fully funded by industry partners and is organised by the POE who coordinate the buses, venue, meals, graduate presenters, keynote speaker and industry site visits.

The keynote presentation was given by a Project Engineer who works for Besix Watpac, the firm responsible for massive projects including the world's tallest skyscraper the "Burj Khalifa" in Dubai, the Kangaroo Point Green Bridge across the Brisbane River and numerous other large infrastructures such as stadiums. She spoke about her career path, all of the amazing projects she has overseen over the last 27 years including the newly constructed Frederickton to Eungai Rail section of the Pacific Highway and 16 major bridge projects.

Following this the students were divided into 3 groups with students from Maitland Grossman High school and Warners Bay to undertake two STEM challenges. These included making and testing a bionic hand and devising a water filter for a particular budget depending on the country allocated, as a real world simulation of third world conditions. St Paul's students made the most successful bionic hand which was able to carry several objects over a set distance. These sessions were run by recent engineering graduates from the University of Newcastle and Queensland Institute of Technology.

After a short drive to the industry tour venue, students were lucky enough to spend an hour with a company called AMPcontrol which is an Australian firm that has grown significantly since its inception to now employ more than 1000 people, with 3 locations across Australia and a gross turnover in excess of $60 million. This firm employs a host of engineers and specialises in designing and constructing electronics to make underground mining safer, including gas testing, industrial earth leakage devices and a range of other projects including the development of an electric/diesel hybrid engine for boats. The students had to gear up in high Vis and safety glasses and along the tour were shown every major aspect of the business from manufacturing, logistics, electronics, software engineering to what subjects to focus on at school.

The students came away with real world exposure to what Engineering entails and the huge diversity of roles, large projects and the entry points and pathways through this field including trades, Tafe diplomas, degrees and an appreciation that this field is in huge demand offering rewarding career opportunities. The students were excellent ambassadors for St Paul's College and we thank their parents/carers for supporting their attendance.