SmartSat commits AU$1M+ to research ects for NSW’s Space Qualification Mission Waratah Seed
It is an historic project to help establish foundational capabilities in the NSW space sector and the Australian space industry as a whole.
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National indigenous space academy takes off
The National Indigenous Space Academy (NISA) will see up to five students studying in STEM fields travel to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA JPL) in California for a 10 week full time summer internship program.
Capital expenditure investments at foodpro 23-26 July
The poll, run by leading food manufacturing event foodpro, also indicated that over a third of are looking to invest in processing and packaging in the same period (37 per cent of respondents).
Workers skilling up for Industry 4.0 takeover
Workers in a range of industries have been training in critical Industry 4.0 skills to prepare themselves and their employers for the rapidly increasing rollout of inter-connected technology in industry. TAFE Queensland are leaders in providing such training to students in the sunshine state with courses for students starting, enhancing, and changing their careers. Key offerings from Queensland’s largest training provider include its class-leading high-school Industry 4.0 program that forms part of the Queensland Future Skills Partnership, a three-way partnership between BHP Mitsubishi Alliance (BMA), TAFE Queensland and CQUniversity. Consisting of the Certificate II in Autonomous Technologies (10935NAT), the program sees Year 10 and 11 students across the state complete an 18 month course that gives them a leg up on their career, says TAFE Queensland CEO Mary Campbell. “A certificate II level qualification will give the students a good taste of what kind of work goes into autonomous technologies, and with the backing of BMA we have a major employer demonstrating their interest in developing this pathway,” Mrs Campbell said. “Understanding the key concepts and gaining some familiarity of how equipment and software can make a complicated task easier or keep workers safe will help to attract young people to pursue careers in this field,” she said. The Queensland Future Skills Partnership commenced delivery to four Central Queensland high schools from Semester 2, 2020 including Moranbah, Dysart and Blackwater State High Schools. The pilot has since been expanded with wider intakes to other priority areas of the state including Brisbane, Bundaberg, Mackay, Rockhampton, and Gladstone which was facilitated through the QFS Partnership along with the Queensland Minerals and Energy Academy (QMEA). Participant Samuel Kirkman from Dysart State High School said he has always been interested in technology and thanks to this opportunity he is now gaining valuable skills for […]
Meet the women working in construction at the Australian War Memorial
This International Women’s Day the Australian War Memorial is highlighting some of the key women working on the Development project. Representing a variety of backgrounds, skills and experience, these women bring their expertise to this multi-faceted, long term construction project. All three are motivated by the once-in-a-career opportunity it represents. “I love my job. It’s a job that was made for me. Knowing that you’re part of the story of the next generation of this building is pretty exciting,” Rebecca Conway, Project Manager for the new Southern Entrance, said. “It’s important to see the range of opportunities you can get out of a career in construction. Four out of five project managers working on the development are female, which is a great statistic.” Working alongside Rebecca is Philippa Seldon, Operations Manager (ACT) at Kane Constructions and Founder of the Healthy Tradie Project. With more than 10 years’ experience in the construction sector, Philippa brings an empathetic and innovative approach to her work. “The Healthy Tradie Project was borne out of my brother’s suicide. He was a carpenter and following his death in 2009 it was only natural that I gravitated toward supporting those who I work with every day,” she said. “Every Thursday starts with a pre-start movement session. We see smiles, we see laughter and a huge boost in morale on those days,” Ms Seldon said. Hayley Delmenico, an apprentice electrician, is one of the youngest tradies on site. Growing up in Canberra ensured familiarity with the Memorial; the opportunity to be a part of its development was too good to pass up. “I thought it would be really exciting to be able to work with my hands. This is a very significant place for a lot of people and just being able to say that you worked on it and being proud of it […]
Profile: Hailey Dicker, boilermaker apprentice
On International Woman’s Day 8 March 2023, we invite you to meet Hailey Dicker, who lives in Brisbane. Hailey decided to do a trade because she loves working with her hands, creating things with tools and learning how things work. She was the TAFE Queensland Skills Tech school-based Apprentice of the Year 2022. tafeqld.edu.au Hailey is employed at Barcat Fabrication. “I found that I had no interest to go to university and I couldn’t study for long periods of time. I did work at home with tools, building things, and maintenance, and it has now become my passion to be a boilermaker. “A major challenge I have overcome since the beginning of my apprenticeship last year is self-confidence. I didn’t have much confidence being in a male dominated career but as soon as I began, I gradually gained my confidence and created a new perspective. “Whether it came to “not being strong enough” or “Only males can do that”, I proved myself wrong and now can do almost anything a male can do in the workplace and I give everything a crack to the best of my ability. ‘In five years, I see myself working in the mines saving money and gaining a lot of experience to benefit me in creating my own welding and fabrication business in the future. I see myself saving a deposit for a house and setting myself plenty of short term and long term goals for my ongoing career. “My greatest achievement so far is beginning my career as a Boilermaker apprentice. It has been so inspirational and opened up many opportunities for my future. If it wasn’t for support from my family and friends, I wouldn’t be as successful as I am now. “My experience training with TAFE Queensland has been absolutely fantastic. On […]
Australia’s first road made using recycled coffee cups
A suburban road in Penrith has become the first in Australia, to include recycled coffee cups in its construction. The fibres in the cups are a valuable additive that helps create a superior, more durable product, quieter and safer than regular asphalt. The more sustainable asphalt, known as PAK-PAVE™ Roads, has been developed by State Asphalts NSW in conjunction with Closed Loop Environmental Solutions who operate the Simply Cups paper cup recycling program. The development of PAK-PAVE™ Roads was facilitated through the Commonwealths Cooperative Research Centres Program Grant, involving the University of NSW and has been sanctioned by the NSW EPA and Transport NSW. The pilot project for PAK-PAVE™ Roads will take place along a section of Jamison Road at South Penrith, to be followed soon after by a second at Swallow Drive, Erskine Park. These two projects will utilise over 135,000 recycled paper cups including coffee cups, which is 85% of the paper cups collected for recycling in the Penrith LGA in 2022. In addition to the recycled paper cups, the two PAK-PAVE™ Roads will utilise other recycled materials including the equivalent of 1.2 million glass stubbies, together with Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement, Steel Furnace Slag. Collectively, these materials will comprise more than 50% of the materials used. Sustainability benefits of the PAK-PAVE™ Roads include: Using recycled paper cups as a beneficial additive Improved pavement durability and crack resistance Improved wet weather skid resistance and reduced noise levels from surface texture Improved durability of Stone Mastic Asphalt allows thinner surfacing of roads; where thickness can be reduced the cost per m2 of pavement is also reduced Less raw materials are required 24% reduction in carbon footprint These PAK-PAVE™ Roads in Penrith are true examples of the circular economy in action, where items that were once destined for landfill have been […]
How Australian manufacturers can position themselves for success in an uncertain economy
Rob Cheesman, General Manager Atturra Manufacturing Softening economic conditions have created a challenging time for many Australian businesses. While JP Morgan in their 2023 Business Leaders Outlook: Australia[1] survey shows nearly half of leaders surveyed expect a recession this year, although right now, most modern economies around the world, including Australia, are managing to avoid this economic reckoning. Indeed, when attention turns to the nation’s manufacturing sector, a somewhat mixed picture emerges. Despite the global economic storm clouds that gathered during 2022, many organisations appear to be doing quite well. To some extent, this situation has been supported by a return to local manufacturing. While the Australian dollar has strengthened recently it is still relatively low. This means locally made products are attractive compared to imports. Mixed conditions ahead According to the February Australian Performance of Manufacturing Index[2], economic conditions are “falling rapidly”. However, if we drill further into these numbers, downstream manufacturing seems to be fairing much better. As 2023 unfolds, there are some key factors that will be worth monitoring. Together, they will shape the next 12 months for the entire domestic manufacturing sector. Five of the top factors are: 1. An ongoing increase in costs During 2022, the majority of domestic manufacturing firms appeared to have successfully weathered a period of inflation. Most were able to either absorb increases or pass them on to their customers. However, things could become a little more challenging over the next 12 months. When the rising cost of raw materials is added to increasing energy costs and wage increases, pressure on firms can become more acute. While most manufacturers should be able to continue to manage costs, ongoing rises could still put pressure on business bottom lines. 2. Staff shortages will ease As is the case for firms in other […]
Sensing the future of energy
Michael Jary – Managing Director, APAC and EMEA, Sense Energy retailer business models have faced extraordinary pressures for over a decade. Even before the war in Ukraine prompted a global crisis in energy markets, retailers were facing a very difficult environment. An inexorable rise in energy costs, together with regulatory intervention and increased customer churn, have eroded retail margins and prompted several exits. Attempts at diversification to adjacent businesses such as home services have often failed because the necessary competencies can be starkly different. At the same time, grid edge intelligence and real-time, appliance-level load disaggregation are generating huge interest in the energy sector. Advances in technology and AI mean that this long heralded technology is now a compelling proposition. Testament to its potential, Sense has recently closed the biggest funding round yet in the sector – a $127m Series C. With millions of next generation smart meters due to roll out with Sense capability in North America, decision makers worldwide are now giving the technology serious consideration for future rollouts. As more than three million Sense-enabled meters begin to roll out in the US, this technology is now coming to Australia, where it can integrate with local smart meters. This is particularly timely, with the Australian Energy Market Commission (AEMC) proposing 100% uptake of smart meters by 2030. Intelligent decisions made today will build an efficient and effective energy monitoring and management system for the future. The benefits to consumers and the energy transition are clear. Sense intelligence represents a powerful tool for reducing both their energy bills and their carbon footprint. It also reduces the overall cost of managing, maintaining, and balancing the energy system. However, the potential to transform retailer business models is what’s seizing the imagination of the industry. So how does Sense intelligence work? Intelligent […]
Women breaking down barriers in engineering
Engineering has long been a male-dominated field, but in recent years, women have been breaking down barriers and making significant contributions to the industry. Australian owned and operated Humiscope, who specialise in controlling indoor environments through energy-efficient solutions, is one example of this progress. However, despite the increasing number of women joining the engineering industry, there is still a significant gender gap. According to the latest statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, only 14% of engineers in Australia are women. This is a concerning figure, particularly when compared to the number of women studying engineering at university. In 2020, 22% of bachelor\’s degree students in engineering were women, which suggests that there is a significant drop-off in the number of women pursuing engineering careers after graduation. There are several reasons for this disparity. One factor is the lack of female role models in the industry. When young women don’t see themselves represented in the field, they may be less likely to consider engineering as a career. Another is that many people are unaware of the myriad industries in which engineering can be applied and the diverse avenues that can be undertaken when studying engineering. In celebration of World Engineering Day, Humiscope champions the importance of recognising women in the field of engineering and wants to showcase the three female engineers on its team. Ladan Bage, a mechanical engineer with a Masters of Science in Mechanical Engineering, works on several large projects for Humiscope. Ladan offers practical mechanical designs while always considering a client’s requirements. She specialises in drafting, documentation, mechanical design, reverse engineering, manufacturing, and its supervision. Ladan works closely with Paula Andrea Gil who is a drafts(wo)men, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Drafting and Design and over six years’ hands-on experience. Highly skilled in BIM modelling, Paula […]