Fostering the Changemakers of tomorrow with Martinus
At WSP, we don’t simply employ graduates. We foster and enrich them with experiences that will help them develop into the best they can be.
One such growth opportunity we offer our future Changemakers is the Graduate Secondment Scheme which WSP runs with other contractors and clients.
At the Moorebank Intermodal Project, Kaitlin Sands, a WSP Graduate Civil Engineer, is currently seconded as a Graduate Site Engineer with Martinus, as part of the program. Martinus is an Australian owned and operated family business, specialising in the delivery of rail infrastructure projects.
Kaitlin says, “Working on this project has been really great. As someone from a consulting engineering background, it’s been fantastic to come out here and learn about the construction methods, and how designs are actually constructed. I think that’s been a big learning curve for me, as well as safety.
“You talk about it in the office but seeing it out here first-hand puts it in perspective for you.”
The gift of experience
The foundation for Kaitlin’s secondment coming to fruition was thanks to WSP and Martinus’ strong client relationship.
Explaining how it was set up, Stuart Allabush, Regional Executive Rail, says, “In late 2022, I met with Travis Rawling and James Brunsdon of Martinus and explained the Graduate Secondment Scheme that we run with other contractors and they were keen to do a similar thing with Martinus.
“We quickly came to an arrangement and Kaitlin was on site in January 2023.”
Speaking on what made Kaitlin’s expression of interest a winning contender, Stuart notes that her experience in WSP’s Roads, Aviation and Civil team definitely suited the phase of work currently underway on the Moorebank project.
Martinus is currently undertaking a lot of the heavy civils, earthworks and drainage work that fits nicely with Kaitlin’s current design role at WSP.
Lee Gibb, Martinus Construction Manager, says, “A secondment like this for Kaitlin definitely helps get that wide base of knowledge early on in her career.
“Getting the construction experience definitely makes the designing more practical and as she develops up the chain at WSP, hopefully she’ll remember some of the construction lessons she learned on site here with Martinus.”
Delivering better projects
Looking back at his own time as a graduate, Stuart says, “I never got to experience an extended length of time on site during construction, like this. I would have definitely benefited from seeing a project from a different perspective and getting out of my comfort zone.
“I think it makes our engineers better designers. By understanding some of the challenges contractors face on site, our design teams can take that appreciation with them and apply it on future projects.”
Kaitlin says, “Opportunities like this are so important because at the end of the day, we’re all in the same industry. If you can understand how the other person works, you’re going to deliver better projects.”
On site at the Moorebank Intermodal Project
