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Newsletter May 2013
Mary Jensen, WECA Co-‐ordinator
The “new normal” is still with us. And how does that feel? Like rather hard work I expect. We have recently been told that the tax-‐take over the past year has risen, indicating that higher profits have been attained. With the recent layoffs at Solid Energy, Fonterra and even closer to home in some companies, indications are that firms are still rationalising their staffing. Survival of the fittest is evident and a lean approach is the “new normal”. More is required of staff to prove their worth – they are working hard to be productive and come up with new ideas to add value to their organisations. The “new normal” requires greater leadership. I recently read an article “5 Things Leaders are Thinking but Not Talking About” www.forbes.com . Here the article stated “leadership is a marathon, not a sprint….Leadership requires wide-‐angle vision and balance – between the here-‐and-‐now, and what is required to remain relevant in the future…. Leaders must become more culturally intelligent to be more globally competitive…. Leading during times of uncertainty is inevitable… How leaders lead during times of uncertainty is what makes or breaks their future. ..Leaders are challenged each day to make difficult decisions without the control and ROI they could expect in the past. Uncertain times represent a test of resilience, will and character. As such, it measures our mental toughness as leaders and our capacity to grow and accept non-‐traditional ways of doing things.” I will add to this that being a leader can be a lonely place – the ability to talk honestly to other leaders who share similar obstacles in this “new normal” world helps a leader to see that they are not alone – and will assist with the mental toughness required to do what is needed by those who depend on them.
By being part of WECA such collegiality is available at our networking meetings. It is great to see so many of you involved with our Engineering in Action Day on May 21st in association with Wintec. We invite all WECA members along to a networking opportunity at 4.30 pm on that day at Wintec. Bring along potential new members. The WECA Board is committed to growing the WECA group. It has real strength by association. We remain a collaborative group of companies committed to growing through encouraging a high calibre of employee into our workplaces and developing the capacity of our organisations. Thank you for your part in that. There is nothing quite like WECA in New Zealand. We are proud ! And resilient through the “new normal”! See you soon!
............Mary Jensen, WECA Co-‐ordinator
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WECA thanks sponsors:
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Michael Eschenbruch (n.b. this is Janis Swann’s son J)
Engineering in Action – Tuesday 21st May 2013 and WECA networking meeting Wintec, in association with WECA would like to thank the WECA companies who have agreed to participate in our Engineering In Action day. 252 Waikato secondary school students and 25 teachers have registered to see the type of engineering undertaken in companies around the Waikato, and the career opportunities that the Engineering Industry can provide.“Engineering in Action” is being held Tuesday May 21st, this year and we are planning school industry visits from 9:15am – 10:15 am and 1:00pm – 2:00pm.
The day will be followed by a mix and mingle event at Wintec from 4.30 pm in the Long Room. All WECA members welcome to attend this networking event on Tuesday 21 May. Please RSVP to [email protected]
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Energy Industry Success for Engineering Graduate Waikato engineering graduate Michael Eschenbruch has landed on his feet in Australia, working as a Reliability Engineer for Snowy Hydro Limited in New South Wales (NSW). “Snowy Hydro Ltd is a State Owned Enterprise, similar to Genesis Energy in New Zealand, which owns a large hydro scheme in the Kosciuszko National Park on the border of NSW and Victoria,” says Michael. The position is part of a new unit in the business, and he says it’s exciting to be part of a team whose role it is to improve on current and future maintenance and design practice.
“I feel very fortunate to be in a job that gives me a great deal of responsibility and accountability so early in my career.” As a reliability engineer Michael works with all engineering and maintenance groups in the company, developing reliability processes and policies for Snowy Hydro’s new and existing assets such as power stations, dams, tunnels and turbines. “This all revolves around ensuring we have the most optimal maintenance regime. As a company operating in the electricity market, we need to have reliable assets with minimal down time. Having an optimal maintenance regime means we have the least amount of downtime and costs while keeping our assets in peak condition. Once the policies have been finalised and are in use, I will be travelling around the sites from Melbourne to Sydney to train staff in the policies and work as a facilitator where required.” “My career aspirations have definitely changed since initially graduating. Originally I was interested in the technical side of things, but I’m now passionate about developing my career in management.” “In my current role I have to appreciate finance, electricity, environmental, long-‐term strategies and need to understand what drives a business. I can now comprehend how important the Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) at Waikato University was in learning the knowhow to think and solve problems holistically.” The St John’s College, Hamilton old boy says this is his third job since graduating from Waikato. His first job was as a graduate engineer with ABB in Hamilton.
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Waikato worker competes at WorldSkills in Germany
The clock is ticking for Reece Gerrits of Thorburn Engineering, Hamilton who is representing New Zealand in the Worldskills Sheetmetal Fabrication section in Leipzig Germany in July. Reece is working incredibly hard to do his best at the 9 day event and acknowledges that he owes an enormous amount to his employer Len Guilford both financially and in terms of time. He also owes a lot to Steve Brooks his Worldskills expert mentor and coach. The competition runs for a gruelling 4 days where 1 complete project is divided into 3 modules over that time. Reece is putting in up to 4 hours a day after work to get himself “competition-‐fit” for the event. “It’s a bit like training for a major international sports event,” says Reece. “ I repeatedly work through the components of a project to ensure that when I get to the event, they are like second nature.” Reece qualified for this world event which involves 10 countries by first winning the national World Skills event in Christchurch last year and subsequently being put through his paces until finally being offered the prestigious place in November. A highlight of his build-‐up is a recent visit to Brazil as their guest to provide best practice to the Brazilian team who filmed his every move in a mock competition held between Reece and a Brazilian candidate. “The journey so far has been awesome,” said Reece. “It’s been a massive learning experience. My skills have advanced a fair way. I’m doing a good job in tight tolerances, in a tight timeframe.” Len Guilford, Reece’s employer agrees. “ Reece is beginning to deliver the potential he has, earlier. His skills mastery has accelerated and his work perspective and confidence has matured hugely”.
Reece said, “My aim is to put the work in now as much as I can so that I can say I did the best that I could, with no regrets.” Reece joins 13 other NZ representatives at the Worldskills competition, each competing in different categories including two women who are competing in hairdressing and floristry.
Reece’s girlfriend joins him on the last day of the competition (no earlier to avoid distraction!) and then they will set out on a Contiki tour of Europe. We wish you all the very best Reece and will be looking forward to hearing about the competition. Kia kaha!
Reece Gerrits and Len Guilford of Thorburn Engineering.
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________________________________________________________________________________ WECA thanks sponsors:
Articles and photos welcome for June 2013 Newsletter. Please email to [email protected]
WECA, Waikato Engineering Careers Association, DDI 07 834 8868 P14, Centre for Industrial Training, Mobile 021 2955951 Wintec Rotokauri Campus, Private Bag 3036 Fax 07 849 1438 Hamilton 3240. www.weca.org.nz
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