Welcoming our 2022 NSW Government Infrastructure Trainees
Built is pleased to welcome four new trainees taking part in the NSW Government’s Infrastructure Traineeships program, Dylan McLean, Joshua Diebert, Malachi Seuala and Natalie Carruthers.
The program is open to Year 12 school leavers in NSW and provides trainees with paid employment working for NSW Government agencies and private sector industry employers over two years combined with TAFE studies.
As part of the program, the four trainees will spend eight months at Built across different construction projects. Natalie is studying project management and is working on Liverpool Civic Place, Malachi is studying project management and is working on our Atlassian project, Dylan is studying procurement and working on 33 Alfred St and Joshua is studying procurement and is based in Built’s Newcastle office, working across different projects.
Natalie Carruthers said she was drawn to apply to the program to gain firsthand experience in the construction industry.
“Working on the Liverpool Civic Place project has been really interesting and I’ve already had a lot of opportunities to build my skillset, learning from different teams including services, construction and sustainability. Some of the skills that I think are most important on site are communication and safety,” said Natalie.
“I feel very supported by my team and never feel scared to ask questions or express my thoughts. Before starting this traineeship, my primary goal was to become a Project Manager. While this hasn’t completely changed, I’m now open to other roles I’ve grown an interest in, like a Design and Services Manager.”
This is the second year Built has participated in the program. During their rotation at Built, the trainees learn a range of skills, including the day-to-day operations on diverse projects, as well as learning from Built leaders about soft skills such as communication and time management, and emerging areas of construction, including sustainability and digital engineering.
The 2021 and 2022 trainees recently came together for a sustainability workshop, hosted by Built’s Head of Sustainability and Social Impact, Joe Karten. The team learnt about Built’s approach to sustainability and discussed innovations in this space.
Trainee Dylan said, “The workshop was really interesting and informative and it’s great to stay up to date with industry developments.”
Of the 2021 cohort, two trainees have been offered permanent positions with Built’s NSW construction team, Madalyn Cormack is working on the 5 Parramatta Square project and Ali Awada has joined the Jindabyne Library project.
Throughout the Jindabyne Library project, Built is finding ways to engage with the local community, including by offering work experience to local students from Jindabyne Central School. Ali recently presented to senior students to share how the traineeship program helped forge his career path.
“I spoke to the students about how the program is unprecedented in terms of being able to gain experience at three different host companies and gaining exposure to Government, consultant and construction sectors. This program has allowed me to identify the career path I want to take, and I’m excited for the future,” said Ali.
The feedback from all the trainees has been overwhelmingly positive and many trainees have referred their fellow students to consider applying. Thomas Walsh commenced the program in 2021 and encourages students considering a career in construction to give the traineeship a go. “The traineeship is perfect for anyone considering a career in any aspect of construction or infrastructure as it exposes young people to multiple perspectives. I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do but I was eager to learn and broaden my experiences. This has been a great opportunity and helped me to understand what areas of construction I prefer the most,” said Thomas.
Natalie echoed these sentiments, adding, “If anyone is thinking about applying next year, I would tell them to do it. It’s an amazing opportunity to grow your independence, and work in an advancing industry with extensive opportunities.”
To learn more about the NSW Government Infrastructure Traineeships, visit: https://education.nsw.gov.au/public-schools/career-and-study-pathways/infrastructure-traineeships/about-infrastructure-traineeships
