As the winner of Engineers Australia’s prestigious 2016 Queensland Young Professional Engineer of the Year award, Dr David Lacey recently visited a number of schools within the Cairns region.
David discussed the opportunities available through the wide-range career fields available as an Australian engineer.
School staff says they were delighted with David’s ability to “connect the real world of civil engineering with the classroom”, helping to inspire students and teachers, and help aspiring engineers make informed choices regarding a future career as an engineer.
David said that the visits had an immense positive impact on him as an engineering professional, particularly in affirming his passion for his work in the industry.
“It was great to have the opportunity to explain why I was passionate about the engineering profession and where it had taken me, and hopefully instil some of that enthusiasm to encourage the students to find a career that they could similarly enjoy,” Dr Lacey said.
Based on his experience, David expressed his “full support of the program” and its benefits, especially to regional students. "The opportunities within the STEM industries isn’t always obvious to high school students, especially those in regional areas. To have a professional engineer present within the school environment hopefully allowed the students to get a better understanding of the breadth of the engineering profession.”
Feedback indicated that the passion with which David addressed and discussed his work as an engineer was a highlight of the talks, showing that a career as an engineer can be fulfilling on both a personal and professional level.
David said based on the students’ abilities attending these visits, there is even more potential to be tapped into from regional areas.
“I was amazed and inspired by the displays of practical skill demonstrated by the students, as well as the genuine care and investment of teachers and administration placed into helping their students reach their full potential.”
Comprising six visits over the course of a three-day period to over 300 students, David’s presentations continued a 10-year-old “Visiting Experts Initiative” run by the Business Liaison Association and supported by Master Builders Queensland.
Chair of Business Liaison Association Angela Toppin, said David’s visits would have important ramifications in providing an increased STEM focus in regional areas.
“This initiative brings industry expertise to students in regional, rural and remote areas so they are exposed to and motivated by these experts,” Ms Toppin said. “It also 'dovetails' into STEM focus in schools and helps to profile the importance of STEM-related skills to secondary students.”