UGL and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have teamed up again linking aspiring engineers with UGL employees giving students an opportunity to put their skills into practice.
The UNSW Engineering Practice Intensive (EPI) summer program, which runs for six-weeks, involves close collaboration between UGL mentors and UNSW students. This year, they worked together on a radio communications project to design, build, and test systems to enable reliable signal transmission over various ranges and conditions.
“One of the great things about this program is that it introduces us to incredibly bright, young minds,” said UGL Head of Engineering – Communications, Rob Mahood. “It’s an opportunity to interact with brilliant students who bring fresh enthusiasm to the table and to give back through practical, hands-on experiences.”
This real-world exposure allows students to apply their learning in a professional environment.
“The most interesting thing I learnt was how different industry projects are from university assignments in terms of communication, coordination and decision-making,” said UNSW student Zheyu Cao. “Beyond the technical side, I learnt how important it is to balance design requirements, timelines, and teamwork to deliver a workable outcome. It gave me a clear understanding of how engineering solutions are developed professionally.”
Students gain technical capability and develop essential soft skills.
“The most important thing I learnt is how important communication is,” said UNSW student Anirudh Raju. “Effectively communicating what we're doing, what we're going to do and where we need help was essential to keeping things going at the right pace.”
The program not only helps students develop real-world skills, but also provides UGL with fresh perspectives and the chance to support the next generation of engineering talent.
“The highlight for me was seeing our system successfully override the rebroadcast signal and deliver the emergency message through a standard radio receiver,” said UNSW student, Knox. “Seeing the break-in mechanism operate as intended under real testing conditions was a strong validation of our design. It marked the point where our concept became a functioning engineering system.”
Balancing the program with a full-time role requires commitment, but for Rob Mahood, it’s effort well spent.
“I appreciate the opportunity UGL provides me to support the next generation of engineers,” said Rob. “Helping students through this program is just one way we can do that, and it’s incredibly fulfilling.”