Sparking an early career interest in energy

Ahead of International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February, we are celebrating the work of our latest interns from Monash University and RMIT University who have been contributing to our work supporting the local energy transition.

Ebony Lampard, Emma Vladicic and Evelyn Yeh, who are all currently completing Bachelor Degrees in Engineering, have spent their summer holidays working full-time in Jemena’s electricity networks team, exploring how Jemena can adapt its network to operate more efficiently alongside a renewable energy future.

Ebony, Emma and Evelyn were unanimous that their internship was a positive learning experience.

“Being my first time in a corporate environment, it was daunting but our mentors were so valuable in giving us one-on-one time each day,” Emma said.

Evelyn said that the teamwork and collaboration skills gained through the internship were invaluable.

“We had the opportunity to go out into the field as well as work on our project looking at how Jemena can best integrate solar and Electric Vehicles (EVs) into its future network,” she said.

“I really enjoyed getting a better understanding of industry, and exploring potential solutions to the energy transition,” added Ebony.

Jemena’s General Manager of Assets & Operations – Electricity, Karl Edwards, said that the business would like to see more women pursue a career in electrical engineering.

“Electrical engineers have a pivotal role to play in our net-zero future and ensuring we have diverse representation at the table is extremely important.

“We needed a real mindset change in how we recruit and develop a diverse workforce. We hope that by facilitating early-career opportunities for women via internships like these, and via our scholarship program with Monash University, we can help play a real role in the continued path to gender equity in what has been traditionally a male-dominated industry,” he said.

Karl said he hoped to see Ebony, Emma and Evelyn working in the energy industry one day – potentially at Jemena.

“We are supporting women to consider a STEM career and working hard to improve gender representation. It’s gratifying to have provided these talented future engineers with a rewarding experience where they could develop skills to enable them for success in their future careers,” he said.