Snowy 2.0 is generating exciting employment and upskilling opportunities for the local community, with six men and women from the local region recently joining Snowy Hydro’s nation-building renewable energy project as surveying trainees.
The $5.1 billion Snowy 2.0 project is delivering thousands of jobs and significant economic benefit to the local region, with around 1,300 people now working onsite.
The trainee group, employed by Snowy 2.0 principal contractor Future Generation Joint Venture, has started formal training in Surveying and Spatial Sciences at TAFE NSW.
The new recruits – Emily Smith (Adaminaby), Trent Thatcher (Tumut), Ian Kilowsky (Jindabyne), Samuel Hayes (Adelong) and Stuart Donlan and Dominic Mooney (Cooma) – are already working across a range of Snowy 2.0 sites.
Future Generation Survey Manager, David Ibbotson, has welcomed the new trainees and is happy to see people entering the surveying industry and training for the future.
“All six of our trainees will learn from our experienced survey team, and I look forward to watching our trainees grow and prove their skills working across our project sites” Mr Ibbotson said.
“I hope they will soon have the skills to guide tunnelling excavations underground and continue their education to complete formal qualifications in surveying and spatial sciences,” he said.
Snowy Hydro Relations Manager Dean Lynch said the Snowy 2.0 training and education opportunities were an important workforce legacy.
“We have always wanted the local community to benefit from this project not only through the business investment and economic boost, but through jobs and training,” Mr Lynch said. “This intake of surveying trainees gives another group of local people the chance to learn valuable skills and establish a career through Snowy 2.0.”
Mr Ibbotson said Future Generation plans to expand the survey traineeships and has encouraged other local people to apply for future positions that could lead to career pathways as survey technicians and assistants.
“I am very encouraged so far by the aptitude and tenacity displayed by the first group of trainees and look forward to watching them exceed and develop in a profession I have personally found constantly challenging and endlessly rewarding,” he said.
Future Generation Training Manager, Aaron Reid, acknowledged Mr Ibbotson’s commitment in attracting the new Snowy 2.0 recruits.
“It is extremely satisfying seeing how our employees are taking care of their own work and are happy to share their knowledge. This represents the spirit of Future Generation JV,” Mr Reid said.
“We are pleased to promote training and apprenticeship programs on Snowy 2.0 and we welcome more enthusiastic and passionate young professionals interested to join the project team. Future Generation is committed to providing skills and opportunities that can be transitioned from the Snowy 2.0 project to the local region and to build individual skills and capabilities,” he said.
Snowy 2.0 is a nation-building project that will underpin thousands of megawatts of renewables and will continue to keep the lights on for generations to come.
Future Generation is a joint venture created specifically to build Snowy 2.0 on behalf of Snowy Hydro Limited. The joint venture brings the combined engineering expertise of three companies — Italy’s Webuild (formerly Salini Impregilo), Australian-based Clough, and US-based Lane Construction.