5 Reasons Young Engineers Should Choose Megaprojects

🚧 Your Guide to Australian Civil Construction 🚧

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Todays article is 805 words… 6 mins reading time.

You’ll hear the tech world talk about their ‘Unicorns’ - companies valued at over $1billion. Well, civil construction has Megaprojects.

And, luckily for us, these are not that rare and can be great places to start your career.

What are Megaprojects?

The cost blow-outs and program delays are widely publicised, think Sydney Light Rail, West Gate Tunnel, Snowy Hydro. However, there are some real winners from such large government spending and our industry is definitely one of them. Here is a peek at some of the current megaprojects happening right now in Sydney;

James Kerr, Senior Project Engineer at Western Sydney Airport speaks about what benefits there are for engineers on our big jobs.

Here are the 5 reasons on why you should consider one for your next career move;

Job Opportunities

Contract award on a megaproject is usually followed by multiple positions being listed for engineers.

Given that tender success rates are less than 50%, it is no surprise that the successful companies are not stocked with the human resources needed. Searching for the right people and employee onboarding is the next step after winning a tender.

More megaprojects = More opportunities for engineers

Track project announcements and reach out to the companies that have recently won a project you’re interested in.

2) Complex Designs, Fast-Paced and Technically Challenging

Large infrastructure projects expose engineers to a range of civil areas that you may not encounter on smaller projects.

The higher the project value, the higher the stakes. The site teams will have more resources available but also experience more program pressure to meet project milestones. You have the opportunity to demonstrate that you can work in high-pressure, fast-paced environments.

This overview shows the different packages you could work on over the project life-cycle;

3) Iconic Project on the CV

We don’t need to elaborate on this much but they look better on your resumé. Engineers that have worked on megaprojects benefit from the increased visibility and recognition from within the industry.

4) Collaboration and Build Your Network

Megaprojects typically involve multiple teams of engineers working together on a single project.

This provides young engineers with an opportunity to work alongside experienced professionals and learn from their different technical backgrounds. Use the project to build relationships and develop a professional network within the industry that can help set up your career.

Major engineering contractors and consultants on Western Sydney Airport;

Engineering contractors - CPB, Multiplex, Acciona, Watpac, Bechtel, Lendlease, BMD.

Design consultants - Arup, GHD, Aurecon, BECA.

5) Create a Clear Path for Career Progression

Long-term employment on the one project is a chance to carve out your career path with your senior leaders.

It is much easier to make your goals clear to project managers when you aren’t changing projects each year. Communicate to your PMs your career goals and they can assist you by giving you the exposure you need to reach them. Start out as a junior engineer and work your way up the ranks by taking on more responsibilities as you start to feel more comfortable on site.

Ask any senior engineers and they’ll tell you that you need a lot more than just the technical skills to do well in your career. Project management and teamwork skills are essential. The scale and complexity of these projects means that the work requires close collaboration between different teams and stakeholders.

This is a chance to develop communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills, which are highly valued by employers and will be beneficial for your future prospects.

Want to read more?

• Other notable megaprojects in Australia can be found here.

• Megaprojects: The good, the bad, and the better

• How are Megaprojects Delivered Around The World

• PMI: What You Should Know about Megaprojects and Why

  

Thanks for reading! 👷