Engineering Aid Australia (EAA) is a not for profit organisation that inspires and supports Indigenous High School students to become professional Engineers.

We are building futures.

Tracey Dennis

Tracey Dennis – Chief Executive
Engineering Aid Australia

FUTURE DIRECTIONS PLAN 2022-25

First Nations people were the first engineers on this land and our children are continuing with that tradition.

They’re out the back of their traditional country, pulling apart old cars and paddock bashers, and putting them back together and making them work. What they don’t realise is that they’re actually on their way to becoming engineers.

We need to bring our people, our heritage and our way of life into the business of engineering. We’re building on our country every day and our children should be a part of those decisions on how and why we’re building and be part of those companies making the decisions.

Igniting Big Dreams

Jacob Cook, Space Systems Engineer, enthrals students in the Cubesat session at the Perth 2021 IAES.

A jubilant Miranda Mahoney ( IAES 2015) celebrates her graduation with a Bachelor of Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Queensland.

Coronavirus message of support.

As the impact of COVID-19 spreads , all of us at Engineering Aid Australia are grateful for our community’s support. We encourage all former IAES participants to persevere with their High School and University studies and to see kindness , hope and support are abundant in our communities during these difficult times.

The rewards for those students who persevere with their studies are immense. Career opportunities abound for students who go onto to gain an Engineering qualification. Those opportunities can only increase as Australia expands its infrastructure and transitions to green energy.

Our congratulations and thanks go to our IAES host Universities for their initiative in confronting the Covid-19 virus in 2021.

Curtin University hosted a very successful and safe program in Perth in July. Some twenty High School students attended the IAES and another ten talented students who had attended a previous IAES were invited to the extension program (the IAEXP). Because of the virus attendance had to be limited to students resident in Western Australia and strict safety protocols had to be observed .

The COVID-19 restrictions in NSW forced the postponement of the Sydney 2021 IAES . Yet, our Sydney IAES host, Sydney University, conducted virtual sessions ‘Lunch with a Sydney Engineer’ for students in Years 9-12, enabling the students to hear from academics and current students at the University across all streams of engineering including Aeronautical/Aerospace, Mechanical, Electrical, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Project Management, Computer Science and Biomedical.

For details of the IAES to be held in July 2022 go to IAES SYDNEY and IAES PERTH.

John McKillop, Director

Our Patron’s message of support .

“ As Patron, I want to send you this message of encouragement as you go about the task of continuing your studies amidst the challenges generated by COVID-19.

Some of you will have been looking forward to turning up to university on the first day of Semester 1 and taking in the excitement of your first day on campus. Meeting your fellow students, making new friends, exploring the university and pondering what extra-curricular activities to undertake — all part of a higher education experience.

While a great many Australians are now studying and working remotely, it is timely to remember how fortunate we are to be able to do so. Advances in technology, the product of engineering, have enriched our lives. Technology, today, enables us to stay connected and to continue to be productive.

In these challenging times, I am reassured by the Engineering Aid Australia mission: building futures. Implicit in that mission is a resolve to push on regardless. I encourage all Indigenous Australian Engineering School students to dig deep, maintain focus and use whatever tools you have at your disposal to be part of a nationwide commitment to overcome adversity and build a stronger Australia.”

His Excellency General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC ( Retd), Governor-General of the Commonwealth of Australia

ABOUT US

EAA has for over 20 years inspired and supported Indigenous High School students with an aptitude for maths and science to complete High School, go onto study Engineering at University and become a Professional Engineer.

PROGRAMS

EAA conducts each year a week- long Indigenous Australian Engineering School (IAES), one in Sydney currently hosted by Sydney University in January, and another in Perth currently hosted by Curtin University in July, with about 25 Indigenous High School students from around Australia attending each IAES at no cost to themselves.

Student Applications

STUDENT SUPPORT

EAA supports students who continue their studies with a range of scholarships and with work experience and career opportunities with its Sponsors.

NEWS

Torey Rickerby’s story is one of the IAES Program’s many success stories. He attended the first IAES in Perth at Curtin University in 2010 and was interviewed by Channel 10 during a site visit to Pearce Airforce Base.He returned to complete his High School studies at Derby and in 2018 Torey graduated with a Masters Degree in Engineering. Channel 10 re-visited the Perth IAES in 2019 to interview Torey Rickerby following his graduation.

Some Student Stories

TESTIMONIALS

Ben’s Message

“I attended the Engineering Summer School at the University of NSW back in 1999, and remember it as being a highly informative and enjoyable eye-opening experience. More importantly, I later attended and graduated from the same University as an Electrical Engineer in 2004, becoming the first Indigenous Engineering Student to graduate from this Institution. I regard this program as an awesome opportunity for Indigenous youth to witness and find out more about what is available to them in University and Engineering. This program only gets better every year.”

– Ben Lange, BE Electrical Engineering, UNSW and 1999 IAES Alumni

Not only is Ben UNSW’s first Indigenous Engineering Graduate he is also the first former IAES student to become a Director of Engineering Aid Australia.

SPONSORS

The success of the IAES Program would not be possible without the generous donations and support EAA receives from its Sponsors. You can click on the logo of any of our sponsors to visit their website.

Partnership Tier Brochure Read

Ansto
Arcadis
Arup
Aurecon
Babcock
Baxter Charitable Foundation
Bechtel
BOC
Corrosion Control Engineering
CR Powered by Epiroc
EY
Google
Hatch
Honeywell
Horizon Power
International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research
James N Kirby Foundation
John Holland
Minerals Council of Australia
My Business Hosting
NORMAN DISNEY & YOUNG
Sage Environmental Services
SMEC
Stantec
Systra
Taylor Thomson Whitting
Transport for NSW
Veolia Australia
Woodside
Worley
WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff