Dhruanshi Patel is an electrical engineer in UGL’s Projects Division and a member of our 2023 CIMIC Group graduate program cohort.
She studied electrical and biomedical engineering at the University of Queensland in St Lucia and graduated in 2022.
What have you experienced in your rotations?
“In my first rotation, I worked on a utilities project located at Greenvale in Qld. I was a project engineer, reporting with weekly meetings capturing the site progress. In my role I got to learn everything that happened on site so I could accurately mark progress of the project. Understanding how each progression can affect things like budget and scheduling timelines for your subcontractors, was a great learning experience.
I am currently in my second rotation based in the South Brisbane office; I am part of the secondary system design team in utilities. They develop electrical control and protection systems for safe and reliable power distribution.
I will also be gaining experience with the commissioning team. They work closely with the secondary systems team, which does quite technical testing out on site. This will be good exposure because being able to get out on site helps to better understand what is required.”
Have you been mentored during the program?
“I was matched with a 2nd year graduate buddy; she gave me some good insight into how the graduate program worked. In Greenvale there was an engineer who had just completed the graduate program, he helped to pass on a great amount of knowledge. Along the way, everyone helped providing insights with my role.”
What made you choose the CIMIC Group graduate program?
“The program offers a unique opportunity to apply my electrical engineering skills in innovative ways, bridging the gap between technical expertise and real-world project management. UGL operates across diverse industries and sectors, I can acquire valuable knowledge and experience through involvement in projects spanning from infrastructure to resources, allowing me to grow professionally. “
Any advice for those looking to join the program?
“My advice is to be open minded and say yes to anything. Try as many opportunities as you can to get as much experience. I never imagined myself doing FIFO (Fly in Fly out) or construction, I was quite apprehensive going into it but then I found I really enjoyed. It has been a great all-round experience.”