Future proofing the planet – Careers powering the energy transition

The panel of experts discusses Australia's transition to clean, secure, and reliable energy systems. The guests share their diverse career journeys—from chemical and mechanical engineering to offshore wind development—highlighting the critical role of STEM in solving global sustainability challenges and the importance of lifelong learning.

Host: Sarah Gavel (Partnerships and Development Manager at ATSE)

Moderator: Rachelle Doyle FTSE (Energy Advocate & Strategy Leader)

Guests:

• Colin Sheldon - Consulting Manager at Aurecon
• Linden Blair - Head of Power Development (West Coast and Offshore) at Alinta Energy

Key Discussion Points

1. Career paths

• Rachelle [06:40]
• Colin [11:51]
• Linden [20:15]

2. Innovation & technology in the energy transition

• Standards Australia creating safety guidelines for hydrogen strategies [04:27] – https://www.standards.org.au/engagement-events/strategic-initiatives/energy-transition.
• The complex control systems used in sub-sea gas extraction and how those skills apply to offshore wind [26:15].
• Long-term energy storage like pumped hydro is the "next big thing" [41:07] – https://www.snowyhydro.com.au/generation/the-snowy-scheme/.

3. Sustainability & professional development

• The Carbon Literacy Project as a tool for individuals to understand climate impacts [18:33] – carbonliteracy.com
• Volunteer opportunities through “Beyond Zero Emissions” to conduct clean-tech research [18:06] – bze.org.au atse.org.au/imnis

4. Advice for students & early careers [31:38]

• Look at alternative study pathways before jumping to university degrees
• Engage with the professional peak bodies to build networks and stay current – engineersaustralia.org.au.
• Engage in challenges to explore your passions for renewable tech – https://www.solarchallenge.net.au.

Notable Quotes

"The future will hold jobs that don't even exist today, and STEM is a fantastic career pathway that sets you on that journey." - Rachelle Doyle

"The engineers who've really thrived are those that are actually really creative and can apply creative solutions." - Colin Sheldon

"Through the renewable energy transition, we have a real opportunity to do things differently... and really uplift First Nations people around the country." - Linden Blair

Useful Links

• STELR Program (www.stelr.org.au): ATSE’s national STEM education initiative for schools
• Elevate Scholarship (atse.org.au/elevate): A leadership scholarship supporting women in STEM, which Vanessa currently holds.
• IMNIS Program (www.imnis.org.au): An industry mentoring network for PhD students.

Watch the full video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Me91ZM0r2L0