Engineering construction April 2009 (state and territory reports)

This set of publications provide an analysis of real infrastructure spending per head of population for each state and territory using the ABS statistics on engineering construction. The statistics provide a sound historical perspective on new infrastructure activity in states and territories and how this compares to Australia as a whole.  The value of the analysis is that it allows the identification of actual new activity each year, by stripping away components from expenditure that often include maintenance of existing assets and land values, as well as the avoidance of the double counting that stems from multiple announcements. While the component of maintenance of existing infrastructure is important, it is not appropriate to include in an analysis of new activity.&nbsp

Water and Australian cities: review of urban water reform, 2006

Australia is experiencing water supply problems and this Report reviews and comments on urban water use and the responses by urban water providers to the challenges of water reform. The objectives of the National Water Initiative are accepted as the basis for progress. Analyses and comments use this baseline, or if it is more appropriate to do so, the antecedent to the National Water Initiative, the 1994 national water reform framework. The main objective of the Report is to point to several areas deserving greater policy attention and policy issues around the scope of the National Water initiative, urban water reform, prices, revenues and dividends, water recycling and the future of water use is considered in detail

Investigation of students’ experiences of gendered cultures in engineering workplaces

Women remain severely under-represented in engineering in Australia as in all Western countries. This limits the pool of talent, standpoints and approaches within the profession. Furthermore, this under-representation equates to restriction of the benefits of being an engineer mainly to men. Gendered workplace experiences have been found to contribute to women leaving the profession. In this study we explore students’ experiences of gendered cultures in engineering workplaces, using interviews with a purposive sample of 13 students (4 male) recruited following a previous survey. Although the overall experience of workplace learning is positive for many students, male and female engineering students reported experiences consistent with masculine cultures. Educators and employers must proactively lead improvements to the culture in engineering workplaces, prepare students for gendered workplaces and support students to reflect during and after workplace experiences. The experiences presented here could be adapted to enhance inclusivity training

An Australian study of possible selves perceived by undergraduate engineering students

In this study, we worked with second-year engineering students at an Australian university to examine previously identified threshold concepts within the theoretical framework of Possible Selves. Using workshops as the context for intensive work with students, students were encouraged to consider their future lives and work, including their engineering fears, expectations, and aspirations. The findings revealed many students to have a poor understanding of the realities of engineering work. Moreover, perceived gaps between self-efficacy and the requirements of engineering work appeared to be motivating if students deemed it possible to reduce the gap, but demotivating if they identified a characteristic over which there was perceived to be no control. The study suggests that these engineering students needed more opportunities to explore both the roles of engineers and their own possible selves. Overall, the findings indicate that higher education students may need encouragement and support to explore potential future roles, and they strengthen calls for further research in this area