Council?s engineering unit is a reflection of Greater Dandenong?s culturally diverse nature, with staff members hailing from all corners of the globe. This is thanks partly to an initiative introduced by engineer Clancy Philippe (photo).

The initiative began seven years ago when Clancy, a Mauritian-born and London-trained engineer, struck a partnership with Swinburne University of Technology for Council to provide on-the-job experience for young engineers.

Clancy?s proactive work with Swinburne has seen engineers hailing from Hong Kong, China, East Timor, Mauritius, Greece, Vietnam, India, Iraq, Afghanistan, Ghana, South Africa, Bangladesh, El Salvador, England, Ireland, Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, South Korea and Hungary, gain Australian work experience with Council.

Engineering Services Director Tim Tamlin praised the ongoing program, which gives young Australian and overseas-born graduate engineers an opportunity to further their career prospects. ?This program has been so successful that many of the young engineers who received on-the-job training at Greater Dandenong are now holding high level positions in other Councils and external organisations such as VicRoads,? he said.

?Simultaneously, the success of the Swinburne-Greater Dandenong collaboration attracted other organisations to seek assistance from Council for on-the-job training of new migrant engineers. Many of these engineers were very capable and experienced in their fields of expertise, but lacked Australian experience. Clancy?s initiative tackles this issue.?

A second partnership, with Holmesglen Institute of TAFE and the Victorian Local Governance Association, has provided similar on-the-job training for migrant engineers from China, Iraq, Afghanistan, Hungary, Sri Lanka, India, Yugoslavia, and El Salvador.

?The experience they have received at Greater Dandenong has been invaluable, Tim said. ?In particular, the presence of overseas-born staff already working in Council?s engineering unit has helped make new migrant engineers feel at home.?