On Friday 23rd November the Perth team at the Engineering Institute of Technology was all dressed up and in celebration mode: we were delighted to be gathered to congratulate our 2018 Australian graduates.
A number of these clever people had convened, from all around Australia, and were also joined by Algate Mtemah, a student who had flown in from South Africa.
We not only celebrated the graduates themselves, their persistence and hard work, but also their incredible families and friends. It is their love and support which helps our online students through the gruelling hours of study, before or after their working days.
All of our students deserve recognition, but the Australian Graduate of the Year was ultimately awarded to Brian Lord. He graduated with an Advanced Diploma of Applied Electrical Engineering and this is what he said about it: “It was the ‘lightbulb’ that changed my electrical life and opened my mind.” He went on to ask, “…why a good portion of the study wasn’t taught to us at Electrical Trade school? It was highly relevant and would’ve opened my mind many years ago.” Despite being 53 years old he is filled with renewed confidence and looks forward to starting the BSc in Electrical Engineering.
The graduates were addressed by a number of speakers. The Dean of Engineering at EIT, Dr Steve Mackay, reminded them to hone their communication skills and keep abreast of developments in their fields.
Mr Ron Manners, Chairman of the Mannwest Group and the Mannkal Economic Education Foundation, has life and business experiences which are legendary. He encouraged the students to always find perspective; he reflected on our ability to smile at our earnest endeavours when we look back.
The students also heard from Mr Cameron Norsworthy who spoke of ‘flow’- those moments when work flows efficiently and effectively, free of interfering doubts. He conceded that being well-prepared was a prerequisite.
One of our lecturers, Partha Dev, pointed out that despite their dedication and love for all things technical, engineers need to nurture their emotional intelligence - a critical asset in all our professional and personal lives.
Finally, Engineers Australia was ably represented by Mr Paul Young, President elect of the Western Australian division. His experiences in the engineering trenches proved valuable to the students.
It was a lovely evening celebrated at the newly opened EIT campus in East Perth. And it was fitting, therefore, to welcome some of our on-campus students to the event, to help us congratulate the graduates. Two of our young students were then surprised to receive awards for excellence, Victor Onoja and Binod Tamang, studying towards their Bachelor and Master degrees respectively.
Congratulations to all our EIT graduates, wherever you are based, and thank you for selecting to study through EIT. Please keep in touch with us - let us know what you are up to and how you are faring in your engineering careers.
