Unison Engineering Scholarship sparks bright future for young locals
Electricity distributor Unison Networks is delighted to be offering an Engineering Scholarship to the value of $10,000 per year of study to one lucky student.
Offered biennially, the scholarship is open to New Zealand students who are intending to, or currently studying a Bachelor of Engineering, majoring in either Electrical or Mechatronics Engineering.
In addition to the financial contribution, Unison offers the student vacation work and may offer permanent employment, subject to satisfactory completion of the relevant degree and available positions.
Unison General Manager, Networks and Operations, Jaun Park says the aim of the Scholarship programme is to attract and develop the next generation of engineers to support Unison’s vision of leading a sustainable energy future.
“Our ability to deliver a sustainable network for future generations relies on attracting and retaining talented employees with a passion for innovation.
“The excellent technical skills and innovative mind-set of previous scholarship recipients gives us confidence that the future of our network is in good hands, which ultimately supports our purpose of enabling communities to prosper.”
Graduate Engineer, David Bredda, is one of seven current employees who joined Unison through its Engineering Scholarship programme. Receiving the scholarship in 2017 while studying Mechatronics Engineering at the University of Canterbury, he is now putting his theory into practice, working behind the scenes in Unison’s Control Room.
“Electricity distribution is an exciting industry and being involved in the fast-paced and dynamic environment that keeps Unison’s network running is a rewarding experience. We use real-time data to assist our field crews to restore power to customers as quickly as possible when there’s a fault on our network, then analyse these faults to determine how the impact can be reduced, or avoided, in the future.
“Every day brings something new and there are often opportunities to get out of the office. I’ve been lucky enough to participate in site visits and an aerial patrol via helicopter which has given me a deeper understanding of how our network affects the communities we power.
“I’m very fortunate to work with a great group of people and Unison is an excellent employer that looks after its staff. The company provided me with unrivalled support throughout my studies and has since enabled me to apply and build on my university learnings with real-world engineering experiences. Anyone considering applying for the scholarship should give it a go,” says Mr Bredda.
