Archived News for Engineering Professionals - August, 2012

The Federal Government has welcomed the release of the long awaited Manufacturing Taskforce Report, which has found that the sector can continue to prosper and grow if it takes advantage of key emerging opportunities in the Asian region.

The Western Australian Government has launched a new initiative that will offer engineering program for school students that will be housed at the $63 million Governor Stirling Senior High School in Midland from 2013.

A new multi-million dollar coal seam gas (CSG) industry supply plant has been officially opened in Toowoomba, and will begin supplying pipeline systems to the state's growing industry.

The Queensland Government has opened the first round of the new Supporting Women Scholarships, aimed at assisting women to enter traditionally male dominated industries.

Susan Lloyd-Hurwitz has been announced as Mirvac’s new Chief Operation Officer following the announcement that Nick Collishaw would be stepping down from the role of CEO and Managing Director as of 31 October.

The New South Wales Government has announced the formation of an inquiry into construction industry insolvency to help safeguard the interests of sub-contractors in the sector.

Melbourne’s Metropolitan Fire Brigade (MFB) has appointed Leighton Contractors as the managing contractor for the construction of its new $109 million firefighter training facility in the city’s north.

Chevron Australia has congratulated transformer producer Wilson Transformer Company on becoming the first Australian firm to become a qualified global supplier for Chevron.

International telecommunications hardware specialist has announced a $11 million expansion to its Dee Why fibre manufacturing facility in New South Wales.

The Victorian Government has granted approval for the construction of the new $195 million 71 storey at Queensbridge Street, Southbank.

Monash University will launch its first mining engineering degree in 2013.

The Monash University Bachelor of Mining Engineering (Honours) will be the only Group of Eight mining engineering degree to be offered in Victoria or Tasmania.

Monash University's Dean of the Faculty of Engineering, Professor Tam Sridhar said the introduction of the new mining degree reflected the University’s continuing commitment to providing industry-relevant courses.

“The creation of this degree is a positive response to industry requests to produce quality mining graduates to fill the significant deficit, which has existed in Australia for many years, particularly in the area of engineering,” Professor Sridhar said.

“Currently only about half of the mining engineering positions in Australia are being filled by Australian mining graduates each year. The mining industry is continuing to expand, and will do so for quite some time and it is important that Monash take the lead to develop new courses to address the needs of an industry, which is very important to Australia.

“We have already had considerable interest from students and the new degree will enable Victorian students to undertake a degree in mining engineering in their home state for the first time. Scholarships will be offered to encourage qualified students to pursue this course.”

The four-year course, a combination of theory and practice, has been developed with substantial industry support and will provide graduates with a diverse range of potential career paths. 

Alongside subjects covering the technical requirements of resource developments, the course will also cover units in sustainability, community engagement and the environment.

Professor Gary Codner from the Department of Civil Engineering said the course had been designed to provide the industry with the type of multi-skilled engineer required in the mines of the future.

“The course incorporates automation, environment, sustainability, people and community, safety, project management, economics, communication skills, innovation and leadership: all aspects of the mines of the future,” Professor Codner said.

“We have integrated all these areas into the degree so our graduates will be ready to make a positive impact in communities here and overseas. They will be ready to work in exploration, planning, extraction and processing of minerals.”

Full details of the Bachelor of Mining Engineering (Honours) can be found in Course Finder.

Researchers at Swinburne University of Technology have developed a way to reduce the time it takes to make components out of aluminium and other metals.

Murdoch University researchers have developed a new battery to store power from renewable sources for use in non-generation times.

The Federal Government has outlined $42.5 million in funding to deliver nine innovative stormwater harvesting and re-use projects in a bid to secure water supplies in urban areas around the country.

Construction work of the 7.5 kilometre Footscray to Deer Park section of Victoria’s multi-billion dollar Regional Rail Link has commenced.

Online job postings of oil and gas positions have recorded an unprecedented 11.98 per cent booming in the last year and a half according to an index published by recruitment specialist Hays.

An Australian first building and construction simulation facility has opened in South Melbourne, which is expected to be able to train up to 7,000 building and construction industry professionals and students a year.

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has found that the number of dwellings approved fell by 2.5 per cent in June, despite the 2.7 per cent boom the previous month.

The construction sector is struggling to cope with continued poor demand and subdued workloads, according to the Australian Industry Group’s (AI Group) Australian Performance of Construction Index.

Flinders University has announced it will establish a teaching and research centre at South Australia’s new advanced manufacturing hub in Adelaide’s Tonsley Park.