Aspects of the role
- Groundwater licensing.
- Undertake assessments on groundwater aquifers to determine the sustainability and availability of water resources.
- Use scientific method to determine if there is enough available water for specific usage. For example a mine site in Capel may apply to draw a large amount of water from the Yarragadee aquifer for mineral processing. It is required that I undertake a full environmental assessment to determine if the use of the water is acceptable. I then need to look at other current licensed water use in the area and determine if there is enough water available for the proposal. If these criteria are met, a license is issued for the extraction of groundwater. If not, negotiation may take place with the proponents until an environmentally sound arrangement is agreed upon.
Skills needed:
A general knowledge of the environmental sciences. It seems most environmental careers are based around an understanding of sustainability and natural resource management. This is then applied to specific job related tasks. If you can display an interest and knowledge in general environmental issues, it is only then a matter of learning on the job.
Recommendations to students wanting to work in
your field:
If you want to work in this field, or any professional/ post university employment, it is vital to make contacts in your area of interest while you are still at uni. Base assignment work around your fields of interest, and contact people who are working in that field to give you guidance and advice. It may be as simple as contacting a company or government department and asking for a brief meeting with someone in your area of interest. Come to them with a genuine interest in your topic or assignment, and most of the time they are glad to share their knowledge. This can often be your first foot in the door.
For example, if you are studying marketing, contact a marketing company and ask for some guidance on a particular assignment. What ever your chosen field of study is, it is these vital contacts which will almost certainly guarantee you future employment.
Why would you recommend ECU South West?
The main difference between ECU Bunbury and other larger universities is that you receive personal attention, you are not just a number like at large unis. The smaller scale of the operation makes learning easier due to personalised service. The library staff know your name (and how many fines you owe), the admin staff say "hi" and every lecturer knows every one of their students. If you need something done, there is always a door open and someone willing to help. These are just some of the advantages of attending a smaller university and not being on of thousands of cogs in a massive education machine, churning out clones with little regard for anything except getting through course work and ticking the boxes of government requirements.
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