To mark National Volunteer Week next week, two young engineers discuss the importance of giving back.
National Volunteer Week, which commences on Monday 20 May, brings awareness to the importance of volunteering for the community.
This year’s theme is ‘Something for Everyone’, highlighting the diverse opportunities volunteering can provide.
For Engineers Australia National President Dr Raj Aseervatham FIEAust CPEng, the value of volunteering lies in uniting his passions with their usefulness to the community.
“Volunteering requires no special skills to deliver tremendous inner satisfaction,” he told create. “Some of my finest volunteering memories are of carrying boxes of vaccines, and playing football and marbles with children waiting for their jabs.”
But skilled volunteering also has a special and unique potency.
“Engineers Australia volunteers offer their expertise, blended with their passion for creating community value,” he said. “This hugely amplifies the effect of engineers and engineering in our society; an effect Engineers Australia continuously strives for.”
All engineers with training and experience have a powerful set of problem-solving skills they can use to help others.
“The world needs the difference those volunteer skills can make,” Aseervatham added.
With that in mind, create asked two of Engineers Australia’s bright young leaders about the benefits of volunteering.
Miranda Rey-Fleming, Young Engineers Australia Victoria Committee co-chair
What do you enjoy about volunteering?
As an engineer, you can get drawn into looking at issues on a micro scale. Volunteering opportunities encourage you to look more broadly at society, how engineers fit into it, and what we can do to make it better. Volunteering is all about teamwork. Working with a group of people on a shared mission helps you build collaboration skills, which are essential as an engineer.
A lot of the experiences, skills and connections I’ve benefited from come from other volunteers who work hard to create opportunities for the next generation.
How does volunteer work shape the profession?
As a volunteer, you often interact with people you might not otherwise meet from different industries, walks of life or stages of their career. Companies often hire people who fit into their culture, whereas anyone can be a volunteer – which fosters opportunities for a diverse group of people to come together and share their perspectives, values and experiences.
Tell us about some of the volunteer work you’ve done.
I was in the Engineering Students Society while studying at Monash University, working my way up to secretary in fourth year in 2020 during COVID-19. While challenging, I was part of a network of peers who supported each other through the pandemic.
I studied Indonesian as part of my double degree in civil engineering and arts, which led to my involvement in the Australia-Indonesia Youth Association. This involved bringing Australian and Indonesian youth together to create a support network, including running a CV workshop to help them navigate the workplace.
I also co-chair the Young Engineers Australia (YEA) Victorian committee. We organise a range of events for our members, including professional workshops and informal networking opportunities. This year, our team is working on expanding our advocacy work, including promoting accessibility in engineering.
Why do you recommend other engineers give volunteering a go?
In engineering projects, you don’t always see the benefits straightaway. But with volunteering, you get out what you put in. If you’re prepared to put time into a volunteering role, you can see incredible real-time results. I have so many lightbulb moments meeting different people in a volunteering capacity.
Tanja Albairmanni, Engineers Australia Graduate Member and YEA committee member
How did you get involved in volunteering?
My first glimpse into volunteering was at university, when I joined some of the committees and mentorship programs that help high school students transition into their first year of university.
While I initially got involved to pad out my resume, sharing in the enjoyment of high school and first year engineering students was really rewarding. It was a fulfilling moment to take part in.
Why did you branch into further volunteer work?
When I attended a Young Engineers Australia (YEA) event post-graduation, I started talking with people from other sectors who had opinions about my industry – oil and gas. I was privy to external perspectives I couldn’t possibly access within the industry, and hearing how people thought we could improve was a unique piece of knowledge.
You don’t know what you don’t know, particularly when you remain in your industry or company bubble. Being able to talk with people in different networks through volunteering has helped to shape how I make decisions in my role as a project engineer.
What volunteer opportunities are you focused on now?
I’m in my first year as a member of the Young Engineers Australia Queensland (YEAQ) committee. At a YEAQ breakfast event I attended last year, the tables were evenly split between graduates and senior engineers. I sat next to the head of recruitment at Rio Tinto and spoke with him about participating in a rowing competition. It’s only because I was a volunteer on the committee that I got that opportunity.
I contribute to the social networks within my own company, including organising events for our graduate network. I’m also able to take part in organising diversity, equity and inclusion events like International Women’s Day, and external volunteering such as when my project team and I spent the day baking at Ronald McDonald House.
Why do you plan to continue volunteering?
If you have knowledge or resources to share, not only is volunteering rewarding, but you get the opportunity to help someone else, which in itself is what it means to be a good person.
There are countless engineers leading change in the world. Nominations for the Engineers Australia Excellence Awards are now open.