From relocations interstate to calling on international experts, Scott Hughes has a story or two to share about his time in the Monadelphous Graduate Program.
Scott first worked his Vacation placement with us in 2020 at the Jimblebar Mine in Newman. Shortly after, he graduated university and transitioned into our Graduate Program, moving to Bunbury in the south west of Western Australia to join our team on a lithium processing train project.
It was here that Scott did some of his best work to date. When the team ran into a procurement issue for a specialised 80-metre cable, they needed a reliable solution to join two shorter cables together without creating any technical interference with speed or attenuation (reduction of strength) in the electrical signals.
“After some research, we found these special powered couplers that we thought would do the job. The problem was, we didn’t know if it would work.
“It took a lot of phone calls to Germany, speaking directly with the manufacturer, and then air freighting the parts over.
“They couldn’t 100 per cent guarantee it would work on this length of cable, but we were confident in the calculations and took it to the customer for approval.”
After some restless nights and a taste of German engineers, the solution worked well, and Scott and the team received a pat on the shoulder from our customer.
Thrown in the deep end in Bunbury, Scott said the experience was a good one and he still keeps in touch with some of his colleagues from the project.
Always up for a new challenge and a fresh environment, Scott relocated again, this time to Queensland.
The three-month opportunity quickly turned into 12 – the new projects in a new place offered Scott a different experience to that of Western Australia.
“It was more technical, sometimes being the only person on site. It took a lot of problem solving, and with smaller projects and a smaller team, I got to do a lot more,” he said.
Scott said he’s been really happy with his time in the Vacation and Graduate programs and shared what made him want to stay on at Monadelphous.
“It’s very hands on, doing all different kinds of engineering. I love being out in the field and playing with things, and always doing something new.”
“I got a lot of experience across all kinds of construction – a bit of mechanical, piping, electrical implementation, commissioning – and the chance to work with every aspect of the business.”
Scott is looking forward to completing his Graduate Passport shortly and is keen to continue his journey at Monadelphous.
Congratulations Scott. With people like you in our crew, we can take on the world.