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Global citizen – Australia offers Pat a place to bring it all together
25-Aug-2008 "Through tuscon and Thiess, I’ve had an amazing opportunity to use the skills I gained at uni in an Australian business and engineering context."
Before coming to Australia, American-born Pat Tepfenhardt had a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from New Jersey’s Institute of Technology with a year of experience in the field. He had also gained seven years of IT and business experience in Europe but had no matching qualification. As unlikely as it sounds, it took an MBA degree and paid work experience in Australia to bring it all together for this citizen of the planet.
“When I was looking around for a place to study for my MBA, I first considered the US or Europe. But it was just too expensive and I was sick of the cold European climate. A Pommy mate in the Channel Islands travelled to Brisbane every two years to visit family and, by this time, I’d holidayed in Australia a couple of times and liked it, so I made plans to study at the only triple accredited university at the time - QUT,” Pat said.
While studying for his MBA at the Brisbane Graduate School of Business (QUT) Pat was keen for work experience and keen to stay in Australia.
He jumped at the chance to participate in tuscon’s iexchange program and was rewarded with a placement that matched his twin interests and ultimately saw him earn a permanent position at Thiess, along with a four year working visa.
“I initially joined the plant department at Thiess in a sustainability role to investigate the feasibility of different technologies, based on barriers to implementation, cost, etc. I was also involved in raising awareness of government programs that require organisations, such as Thiess, to reduce their carbon footprint. Currently, I am due to manage an alternative fuel trial at one of our mining sites. In addition, I’m also developing cost management decision tools.
“Through tuscon and Thiess, I’ve had an amazing opportunity to use the skills I gained at uni in an Australian business and engineering context. Having worked in Europe for several years, it was a welcome cultural change,” he said.
Pat is now planning to apply for permanent residency in Australia and couldn’t speak more highly of tuscon’s role.
“Naomi and Justin were very professional and went to great lengths to find a match between my needs with that of an employer. Justin diligently ensured I had the right skill set for the role and Naomi made sure I was satisfied in my role and that the workload did not affect my study time. I would strongly recommend postgrads and employers to take part in this program for the mutual benefit of both parties.”
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