Episode #20

• Trish White is the National President and Chair of Engineers Australia, which is the peak professional engineering body. 
• Trish started with a Bachelor of Engineering from the University of Queensland, then also obtained a BA in Mathematics & Economics. 
• Her career accomplishments are many and varied, but include positions such as a Senior Executive of Worley Parsons, a director or chair forgovernment bodies, international businesses, universities and commissions.And to top it off she represented the electorate of Taylor in the South Australian House of Assembly for the Australian Labour Party. 
• It just goes to show where a career in engineering can take you.

• The 4th Industrial Revolution – there is a shift in engineering practice and jobs are changing very drastically 
• FYI: 1st Industrial Revolution was around Steam power, 2nd was electricity & assembly lines, and the 3rd was due to computers and automation. 
• This 4th Revolution is about the merging of the cyber and the physical…”What sets it apart from the last industrial revolution is the pace and the scope of it.  It is affecting every industry in nearly every country and it’s happening quite quickly” 
• The “T-shaped engineer” is required – employees are looking for engineers that can pull information 
• Even the specialists we didn’t expect to get disrupted (medical & legal) are being disrupted by technology.  However, the difference with engineers is “value that we create is not just in our knowledge based, nor is it just in the processes we use, it’s the integration of all of that towards a problem solved end.” 
• Trish has been involved in the Prime Minister’s Industry 4.0 Taskforce which has morphed into an advanced manufacturing forum.  It has a number of representatives from across all areas of society, including representatives from the union movement, because “a lot of this change is about people’s jobs and work and the nature of work.“ 
• This taskforce has the job of helping the nation to determine what could be the preferred future for Australia.  Engineers Australia, through Trish’s involvement, is helping with this task.

• Engineers Australia will be turning 100 years in 2019, so there will be a lot of events and activities to celebrate engineers and discuss the future of engineering. 
• “If you can see it, you can be it”.  Trish was first introduced to the idea of becoming an engineer because a chemical engineer visited her school. 
• Working as a Broadcast engineer allowed her to change people’s lives. 
• Being a female engineer in regional Australia during the 70’s was very different to what it would be like today. 
• In her current role, Trish enjoys talking to all engineers in all roles – the variety is what she loves. 
• The current engineering students have a very different expectation on what it means to be an engineer.  As well as a very different expectation of what the typical work week should look like. Most students are wanting to set up their own company.  Trish is starting to see what work places are expected to be like in the future. 
• “engineers are humble people, not a lot of us are extroverts. We have to get used to stepping up and having our voice heard. Because the future of our nation depends on it and it’s our time to lead.”

An engineering item for discussion. Wi-fi changed people’s lives all over the globe.  “For me, that’s a very important one”.  “People around the globe wouldn’t know” that it was an Australian engineer who invented this. 

An engineer to admire. There are many engineer’s Trish admires.  As part of the 100 Years of Engineers Australia, there’s a book being released.

Her father, who in a different time would have been an engineer, inspired her and gave her the confidence to be all she could be.

Website: www.engineeringheroes.com.au 

Facebook: @BeerWithAnEngineer

Instagram: @BeerWithAnEngineer.podcast

LinkedIn: Beer With An Engineer

Twitter: BeerWithAnEngineer_Podcast

Melanie on LinkedIn

Dominic on LinkedIn 

Our drinking game.  You can’t have a beer with an engineer without having a drinking game!!  Anytime Dom says “ummm” or Mel says “so”… drink up!