• The Hustle engineering program initiated by a Charles Sturt University student engineer welcomes last-minute applications from young women seeking careers in engineering
• Hustle aims to help female high school and university students to advance their engineering career aspirations with the support of established industry professionals
• Applications for the Hustle program close on Friday 21 October

An innovative new three-way mentoring program initiated by a Charles Sturt University student engineer is set to provide support and career development opportunities for aspiring young female engineers in regional NSW. If successful it could be rolled out nationally.

The Hustle scheme is a pilot program devised by Charles Sturt student engineer Ms Miranda Swift (pictured), and two fellow students - Ms Clarissa Luk, a space engineer and law student from Perth, and Sydney-based biomedical engineer Ms Jamie Byrnes.

Ms Swift is from Lithgow NSW and is a student in the Charles Sturt School of Computing, Mathematics and Engineering. She is studying remotely the double Bachelor of Technology (Civil) and Master of Engineering (Civil).

Ms Swift currently resides in Newcastle and works as a Cadet Civil Engineer at Northrop while launching the pilot program through Engineers Australia.

The scheme aims to help female high school and university students to springboard their careers with the support of an established industry professional by creating a three-way mentoring system.

“As part of an Engineers Australia scholarship, we were asked to create an initiative to help promote, attain and retain women in engineering,” Ms Swift said.

“I went to a regional high school and know just how much I would have benefited from an initiative like the Hustle program.”

The pilot Hustle program will include ten high school students, ten university students and ten industry engineers.

Ms Swift hopes she will lead fellow regional students down her pathway to become an engineer and encourages high school girls to apply for the pilot program before applications close on Friday 21 October.

The successful applicants from across New South Wales will be invited to join Ms Swift to celebrate the Hustle launch in Sydney.

Engineers Australia will also offer a bursary for each successful high school applicant to attend the launch which Ms Swift believes will be a key part in beginning their journey in engineering.

Ms Swift said the initial rollout has been well-received within the industry, and she hopes it will inspire the next generation of female engineers.

“This pilot program shows high school students the incredible opportunities that are out there and helps with networking,” she said.

“We aim to help reduce the gap for people based in regional areas who might otherwise miss out because they don’t have the opportunity to make that connection.”

“The program provides those networking opportunities for university students too and demonstrates that your age or position doesn’t matter– you can be a leader.

“For professional engineers, the whole idea is to show them the impact they can have. This initiative has the ability to change some of those young girls’ lives.”

As part of the Hustle program, Ms Swift will travel to regional high schools to speak about the pathways into engineering in the hope of inspiring other young women to enter the profession.

To apply for a position within the program, please follow these links:

Application for Mentees (High school & University)

Application for Mentors (Professional Engineers)

Applications for the Hustle program close on Friday 21 October.

Enquiries can also be made to sydneywie@engineersaustralia.org.au