Greater Dandenong engineering services director Tim Tamlin shows budding engineer Kazi Islam survey equipment.By Sarah Schwager
KAZI Islam is a permanent Australian resident and a qualified civil engineer.
But in the five years he has lived in Australia, he has not been able to find a job in engineering.
But thanks to the Victorian Local Governance Association (VLGA), the Doveton resident is on his way.
The VLGA recently placed 15 overseas-qualified engineers in local councils.
It is the first time the program has ever been run.
As part of the program, Mr Islam has been working for the past 14 weeks in the City of Greater Dandenong’s infrastructure planning department.
He said there was the possibility he could stay on if he secured a six-month contract after his 15 weeks are up.
But Mr Islam said even if he did not stay on at the council, the placement had been great experience and meant he had built up his resume.
“It’s so hard to get a job in Australia if you don’t have local experience,” he said.
Mr Islam, 29, studied a Diploma of IT Multimedia after moving to Australia, thinking it would help him secure a job.
The course finished three years ago.
He said the VLGA program had provided him with the first engineering work he had done in years.
“I think it will be easier to find a job now,” he said.
Mr Islam said the people at Greater Dandenong had been very nice and helpful.
He said his work at the council involved analysing water pipes, taking data and finding their exact positions using a global position system (GPS).
“After we finish the data collection, council can then find where they need new pipes to help with things like flood prevention,” he said.
Mr Islam lives in Doveton with his wife Umme Naeem.
The couple recently bought a house and are expecting their first baby in three weeks’ time.
“I can feel this is the beginning of life and of my career in civil engineering,” Mr Islam said.
