Six engineering students from The University of Queensland have received an $8000 boost to support their studies and energise the State’s power industry.
The first year Bachelor of Engineering students were each awarded a bursary from the Power Engineering Alliance (PEA), an industry-wide partnership which works in conjunction with Queensland’s leading universities.
The scheme provides power engineering students with financial assistance as well as the opportunity to gain work experience and vacation employment in Queensland’s energy industry.
Minister for Mines and Energy Geoff Wilson said the bursary recipients had a bright future ahead of them.
“This is all about bringing on a new generation of skilled engineers in our power industry,” Mr Wilson said.
“Queensland’s energy industry is the second largest in Australia and the fastest-growing. We need to ensure our young power engineers develop the practical, real-world skills they need.”
UQ recipients Edward Burstinghaus, Alexander Hugall, Timothy Nakhla, Harry Willis, David Winsor and Ryan Kirkman were among 17 Queensland power engineering students to receive the honour.
Professor Tapan Saha from UQ’s School of Information Technology and Electrical Engineering said there were currently 19 UQ students participating in the PEA bursary scheme.
“This ongoing success reflects the quality of the power engineering program here at UQ and shows that our students are highly motivated and sought after by the power industry,” Professor Saha said.
“This bursary scheme not only provides the recipients with a unique opportunity to work across all areas of the power industry but also allows them to work closely with and learn from professional senior power engineers.”
The aspiring engineers will receive the $8000 over a four year period to support their studies at UQ.
Current bursary holder and UQ Mechatronics/Commerce student Ryan Wong said the program gave recipients a leading edge in the energy sector.
“The vacation employment was most beneficial as it offered an appreciation of the power industry that you won’t find in text books,” Mr Wong said.
“Even better, you were able to select what areas you were most interested in and I was able to gain exposure across the distribution, generation and consultancy side of the industry.”
The UQ students were presented with their bursaries at a ceremony held at the Brisbane Powerhouse on October 24.
Media: Kim Jensen at UQ Engineering (07 3365 1107, k.jensen@uq.edu.au)
