Civilian Defence Engineering Scholarship 2009 Recipient

The Civilian Defence Engineering Scholarship provided Rilshad Rafiudeen with two invaluable internship opportunities, which saw him working on multimillion dollar infrastructure projects and discovering the breadth of operations within the Australian Department of Defence:

The Civilian Defence Engineering Scholarship has allowed me to gain a much greater appreciation for Defence and the sheer scope of its operations. It has enabled me to enjoy my studies, without worrying about the burden of paying fees.

Rilshad’s industrial placements involved working as Project Officer in the Infrastructure Asset and Development Branch of the Department of Defence:

As part of my daily job, I was managing infrastructure projects worth millions of dollars. I was given the opportunity to travel around Australia to project sites, such as RAAF bases in Adelaide, military bases in regional areas of Victoria and a Parliamentary Standing Committee in Brisbane. This travel allowed me to gain onsite experience and gave me opportunities to network with the engineering industry.

Rilshad aspires to be a structural engineering consultant and has recently secured a graduate position with Beca, a multidisciplinary consulting practice:

I have always been fascinated by structures and how they are designed and constructed. I enjoy the problem solving and analytical nature of structural engineering and the tenacity required to solve some of the complex challenges as they arise.