NDY Graduate Program proves an Effective Tool to Tackle Skills Shortage

April 12, 2007: Despite the national skills shortage showing little sign of abating, an Australian leading graduate engineering program continues to receive record numbers of applications.

Norman Disney & Young (NDY), one of Australia’s premier engineering firms, has significantly grown its NDY Graduate Program over the last five years, cementing an enviable record of successfully retaining talent and fostering graduates into senior roles.

The program is proving increasingly popular, more than 135 applications for positions in Melbourne and Sydney alone last year.

Established over 20 years ago, the NDY Graduate Program represents a dedicated effort to recruit the standout tertiary performers from both Australia and overseas.

Around 25 new graduates come on board each year, the majority of which receive a place in NDY’s Australian, New Zealand and United Kingdom offices.

Many of the current leaders of NDY, including Managing Director Tony Lukic, Director of the Melbourne office, Stuart Fowler and NDY Interiors Manager, Peta Earley, all commenced employment with NDY as university graduates.

Director-in-charge of NDY Melbourne, Stuart Fowler, said engineering in the property and construction sectors has been hit hard by the skills shortage.

“The shortage extends down to graduates levels, making the competition for top graduates particularly fierce,” Mr Fowler said.

“This makes the NDY Graduate Program even more important, providing a crucial competitive advantage when it comes to recruiting the most talented graduate engineers,” he said.

Mr Fowler said the program exposes graduates to a range of tasks across NDY’s specialty disciplines, to broaden their experience, knowledge base and skills range.

NDY’s specialty disciplines, including Environment, Health, Security, Interiors, Light, Sound, MPlus and Fire Engineering, together with its core services expertise, provide end-to-end engineering solutions exclusive to the firm.

“By offering a career path for graduate engineers, NDY is able to attract and retain quality graduates which further contribute to the differentiation of the firm. The opportunity to work at different offices through permanent transfer, secondment, or project opportunities, also enables staff to continue to develop their skills and advance within the NDY group,” Mr Fowler said.

“We recognise the importance of our graduates seeing the world and expanding their horizons. Our program offers employees the chance to experience different cultures and gain exposure to different markets while not having to sacrifice or delay the progression of their careers.”

The NDY Graduate Program takes a pro-active approach to recruitment. Employer information sessions are held at universities around the country, and NDY representatives regularly attend Careers Fairs for engineering students.

Interested students are encouraged to apply, and emails targeting specific high-achievers are distributed. This is followed by a two-stage interview process designed to identify the applicant’s core strengths and create awareness of the career prospects offered through NDY.

After six months in their new roles, successful graduates are brought together for an intensive Induction Program, which includes presentations by architects, industry professionals and consultants, an overview of relevant legislation, career growth tips, a presentation skills course and tours of major sites.

Additionally, each new graduate is appointed a senior engineer who is responsible for supervising their work, passing on skills and knowledge and ensuring their progress in the firm is properly managed.

Working with a Senior Engineer, graduates get exposure to the decision-making processes and accountability involved in managing projects and after 6 months have the opportunity to control smaller projects under supervision.

“NDY invests a lot of time and energy into ensuring our graduates come up to speed quickly and with an armoury of skills and knowledge across the range of engineering disciplines,” said Mr Fowler.

Graduates are encouraged to undertake further studies and technical training, and as their expertise grows they are offered further training in management skills.

“This investment continues to pay dividends as NDY is seen as an employer-of-choice for graduates, and there is great satisfaction watching careers progress in our office and across the group,” he said.

Further information:

About Norman Disney & Young:
Established in Australia in 1959, Norman Disney & Young operates practices in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra and Perth; Auckland and Wellington in New Zealand and London and Manchester in the United Kingdom. Maintaining a focus on developing talent from within its own ranks, NDY now employs over 440 staff internationally.

Known for delivering quality engineering designs that incorporate environmentally sustainable design principles, NDY has provided ESD and Building Engineering Services for landmark projects across Australia, recently including Port 1010 at Digital Harbour, the first 5 Star Green Star designed new building in Melbourne.