Junior engineers have made valuable contributions to infrastructure projects within the south-west Pacific as part of a key partnership between Army and the construction industry.
Memorandums of understanding (MOUs) signed in 2022 with a number of companies, including RPS Group, a global engineering and architectural services company, and Aurecon, a design, engineering and advisory company, resulted in three engineers appointed to the Army Reserves as specialist service officers (SSO) in 2023.
Captain William Guelen and Captain Eric Doekes were posted to 12th Chief Engineer Works (12CEW) in Brisbane, and Captain Ben Ellis-MacMahon was posted to 19th Chief Engineer Works in Sydney.
After completing SSO training at the Royal Military College - Duntroon, Canberra, and the Royal Australian Engineer (RAE) Army Reserve Regimental Officer Basic Course through the Army School of Engineers, Holsworthy, the three began one year of full-time service with their units.
Captain Guelen worked on the redevelopment of the Lombrum Naval Base on Manus Island in Papua New Guinea.
"The experience has been incredibly rewarding, both personally and professionally," Captain Guelen said.
"It's a unique opportunity to combine technical expertise with leadership and problem-solving skills.
"I'm grateful to Aurecon for supporting my decision to step away from my civilian job and join Army for a period of full-time service.
"While they may have lost my services temporarily, when I return I will be doing so with an intimate understanding of Defence operations, an appreciation of risk and significantly more experience in stakeholder engagement."
'When these engineers complete their period of full-time service they will return to their civilian employers with an array of skills and experience that we will likely see reinvested in Defence projects in the future.'
Captain Guelen encourages other engineers to consider joining Army in a reserve capacity, or on a full-time contract like he did.
"It's a fantastic opportunity to develop your skills, serve your country and experience new challenges," he said.
"If you're looking for a change and want to make a difference, I highly recommend it.
"You will grow both personally and professionally, and you'll have the opportunity to meet and network with people from a wide range of backgrounds and specialties."
Lieutenant Colonel Jonathan Pollard, who was Commanding Officer of 12CEW when the MOUs were signed, said the benefits the collaborative partnership offered to all parties were clear from the outset.
"Army was seeking to leverage the total workforce system in order to enhance our operations using industry specialists," Lieutenant Colonel Pollard said.
"We brought in talented young engineers that have been able to quickly integrate with our units to conduct valuable work on major infrastructure projects in Australia and throughout the south-west Pacific.
"During their time with us, the engineers developed their leadership skills and learnt about Army culture and Defence values - all while gaining invaluable experience.
"The companies selected to participate in the MOUs do a lot of business with Defence.
"When these engineers complete their period of full-time service they will return to their civilian employers with an array of skills and experience that we will likely see reinvested in Defence projects in the future.
"Having spent time in Army, those engineers will have a better understanding of our culture, processes and requirements."
Lieutenant Colonel Pollard strongly encouraged other organisations to consider partnering with Army on a similar arrangement.
"Find your best and your brightest employees that may be looking to try something new, different and interesting, while gaining experience that they will never get within industry," Lieutenant Colonel Pollard said.
"Send them to us for 12 months and we will send them back as an even more valuable employee with unique skills."
