Building rural bridges
Joshua
Ward is the inaugural winner of the DTEI Scholarship in Civil
Engineering.
The $10,800 cash award is a boon for the 18-year-old from Port Pirie. So too, is the opportunity to get valuable work experience with the Department for Transport, Energy and Infrastructure.
"I was pretty stoked to win the scholarship, to be honest," Ward said. "It definitely helps to have a bit of cash when moving away from home. And certainly having work experience throughout the program is good."
Ward, who is doing a double degree in civil engineering and management, said he enjoyed his first work experience stint in DTEI’s Crystal Brook office, only 20 minutes from his Port Pirie home.
"They gave me a small project working on the diversion routes from the national highway to see their suitability for heavy vehicles," he said.
DTEI provides these scholarships to encourage students to take up civil engineering at a time of serious skills shortage in the field. By also providing work experience, the scholarships encourage students to find out what it’s like to work in a large government agency and to learn first-hand about the range and depth of responsibilities and opportunities that DTEI offers.
Scholarship holders, such as Ward, will have the opportunity to undertake further work experience during their studies, and may eventually take up a role at DTEI once they graduate.
"I’ve always had a fascination with structures, mainly major industrial developments like buildings and bridges. I want to get into the workings of them," he said. "If I could get involved in major industrial projects, that would be ideal."
Civil engineering Program Director, Associate Professor Julie Mills, said the scholarship strengthens a longstanding relationship with DTEI.
"We’re really pleased to maintain that strong relationship and the introduction of this scholarship can be a major support and incentive for students to apply to study civil engineering at UniSA," she said.