Year 11 students from Shalom College were recently given a preview into what studying an engineering degree looks like at CQUniversity Bundaberg.
The students, who study General Engineering as part of their senior curriculum, participated in a series of activities at the campus including material strength and impact tests and designed a small structure which aimed to give them insight into university-level engineering study.
CQUniversity Head of Course (Undergraduate Engineering) Dr Benjamin Taylor explained that the session was organised in partnership with Shalom College to help aspiring young engineers discover options for study and specialisation, while gaining practical experience to enhance their learning at school.
He also said there was a strong need for more students to study engineering as demand for graduates increases, driven by the post-pandemic recovery and planning for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane.
“We have always witnessed strong demand for engineering graduates but right now we are really seeing this demand ramp up and I think this will only continue further as governments at all levels invest in infrastructure projects aimed at post-COVID economic recovery,” Dr Taylor said.
“Along with this there is also the added demand for engineers related to the infrastructure development needs for the Brisbane Olympics.
“Furthermore, we need more talented engineers developing new technologies to help society transition to sustainable living. The key to achieving humanities biggest challenge will stem from the minds of the next generation of engineers, who are currently at school.
“There is a continuing undersupply of engineering graduates in Australia, especially in regional Australia, so there really has never been a better time to study an engineering qualification.
“We are already finding that many of our students are gaining, or being offered employment prior to even graduating.”
General Engineering a popular program pick for students
Shalom College’s Assistant Principal, Curriculum, Gail Norris said that the school was witnessing strong interest in its General Engineering program.
“This year is the first year that Shalom has offered Engineering as a subject to our Year 11 students,” she said.
“We are really pleased with the number of students who have chosen to study Engineering and hope that the numbers continue to grow in the future.
“The College is grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate with CQUniversity and we look forward to continuing our partnership beyond 2021.”
CQUniversity’s engineering courses are offered on-campus in Bundaberg, Cairns, Gladstone, Mackay and Rockhampton, and online.
CQUniversity’s Engineering graduates have some of the best employment outcomes in Australia with 96.2 per cent of graduates gaining fulltime employment within four months of graduation and an average starting salary of $83,000 in the first year.
For more information about engineering courses at CQUniversity please visit www.cqu.edu.au/engineering.
