Infrastructure as an Undergraduate Engineer

Pippa Redcliffe is a Pensar Undergraduate, entering her fourth year of Civil and Geotechnical engineering at the University of Queensland.

Pippa acknowledged she was worried about going down the infrastructure path because of the low percentage of females in the field but working with Pensar, in the infrastructure industry, she feels at home and is continually learning.

“Being a woman in such a male-dominated industry is at times intimidating, however I think Pensar is trying to change that, and they have definitely tried to make it easier for me.”

When Pippa first found Pensar, as a prospect for student work, she didn’t anticipate the positive impact it would have on her university life as well.

“Pensar seemed like the best starting point as a growing student and has only exceeded my expectations. The company didn’t hesitate to throw me straight into the industry and because of this I have learnt so much which benefits my university studies and career. Being onsite forces you to be heavily involved in all aspects of a project.”

Pippa attributes feeling at ease in the infrastructure industry to Reese Deaves (Pensar Director of Civil Infrastructure) and the people she works alongside at Pensar.

“Reese and the team at Pensar continue to be super encouraging and helpful in my journey as a young engineer. It’s important for companies to understand how to teach young people like me, and I believe Pensar has worked out how to do this well.”

Pensar offers undergraduates the flexibility to manage both work and their university commitments and this is just another benefit Pippa appreciates as an undergraduate with Pensar.

“Pensar gives me the flexibility to succeed as both a university student and undergraduate engineer, if I am struggling to keep up with work and uni they will always help. It’s another example of why being with a slightly smaller and more close-knit company creates a better work experience. They believe in training young engineers, and I am very lucky to be able to learn from Reese and other engineers at Pensar.”