Graduate Profiles
Graduate Engineer - Kira Wheelhouse
What does your typical workday look like?
Start the day at prestart, head out for a site walk with my area supervisor, then spend the morning getting
the questions from site answered with the consultants. After lunch I’ll work on program, plan upcoming works,
and work through some of the more complicated issues. In the afternoon I’ll go on another site walk and note
down the day’s progress for my works and status of my short range program.
What has been the most interesting thing about your job?
That every day there’s something new. There’s always a new issue to work through and resolve that needs
some elastic thinking and collaboration with the team. This is everything from resequencing works to make
sure we maintain access, finding efficiencies like prefabricating services runs to save some time, and to
checking the depths of light fittings so they don’t jut past the ceiling. I’m constantly learning and constantly
challenging myself to improve.
Graduate Engineer - Yasmin Dallol
What does your typical workday look like?
Back at RIS I would have my trusty site notepad that would have a list of tasks that I would usually write the
day before, that list usually gets thrown out the window! The day can be very unpredictable at times, so being
flexible and ready was essential. During the day I would get said tasks done, watch and learn, ask A LOT of
questions and end it by listing the things that need to be done the next day (hoping for no curve balls). My
days here at NWPA are kind of similar in a way, only major difference is that now I’m at home.
What has been the most interesting thing about your job?
Being involved in a project from the tender phase all the way to the delivery phase. I have learnt so much
working on each step of the project and every step requires a different set of skills and can be challenging
both mentally and physically. But at the end, when it comes to the delivery phase you get a huge sense of
accomplishment and it is very rewarding. I have been lucky enough to be exposed to a variety of Rail projects
around Victoria, whether central or rural.
Graduate Engineer - Nathan Mowad
What does your typical workday look like?
My typical workday almost always kicks off with a home-made coffee with Dad as soon as I wake up, and
we chat of our plans for the day and watch the early news. About an hour later I am out of the house and on
my way to work, listening to some music or a podcast on my drive in. I get to the project office and plan my
day ahead in my diary for 5 minutes, and then get stuck into my work! Usually this is broken up with meetings,
site visits, lunch and a coffee or two spread throughout the day. By 5/5.30 p.m. I will leave the office and be
on my way to have dinner at home, usually followed by a soccer training session, study for my post-graduate
degree and/or a chill night watching a movie & reading.
What has been the most interesting thing about your job?
The most interesting aspect of my job is the opportunity for involvement in iconic projects that will shape
the city in which we live. The ability to learn how and why a project is delivered, and then explaining those
learnings to people unfamiliar with the subject, is what intrigues me the most.
HSEQS Graduate - Sajitha Srivelan
What does your typical workday look like?
Sustainability is based on the idea that effective management of today’s resources allows future generations
to be afforded the same resources and opportunities that we have. This is based on management of the
triple bottom line – impacts to the environment, economy, and society. As these impacts are quite varying,
my days are also quite varying! Some days involve going out to site to spend time with the construction
teams and conducting sustainability inspections. These inspections are invaluable in terms of getting to ask
questions and learning more about barriers to sustainable construction practices, as well as to see how
sustainability is taken from a theoretical aim to a practical achievement. Other days are filled with interacting
with our subcontractors to manage their compliance with sustainability requirements, conducting reviews of
our resource consumption with the sustainability resource leads, or putting together communication pieces
for the Project Wide newsletter.
What has been the most interesting thing about your job?
It’s incredibly rewarding and interesting to see how different sustainability metrics on a construction project
are measured and tracked using the ISCA IS rating tool and the GBCA Green Star rating tool. I love that every
day I feel like I’m helping to build a better future.