Metro’s newest engineering recruits have entered the rail workforce, with the successful recruits selected out of nearly 700 applicants for Metro’s Engineering Graduate program.
Established in 2013 to encourage young professionals to enter the rail industry, the program currently runs for two years, and will see each graduate rotating through five different areas of the business, including Metro’s Engineering, Infrastructure, Projects, Operations and Operating Control Management System (OCMS) departments.
Now in its ninth year, 87 per cent of graduates who have completed the program are still employed by Metro.
One such graduate is Sean O’Halloran, who was in the first cohort of graduates and is now a Rail Systems Manager on the Hurstbridge Line Duplication Project.
Mr O’Halloran has worked on some of Melbourne’s biggest rail infrastructure projects across the network, from Caulfield to Dandenong and now Greensborough.
“When I drive around Victoria, I always see something that I’ve worked on,” Mr O’Halloran said.
“Working in rail is an extremely rewarding career choice. It’s something I can really get behind as a person and it feels great to be serving my community by keeping the network moving.”
In his current role, Mr O’Halloran is responsible for the delivery of works for all rail disciplines on the Hurstbridge Line Duplication project, including track, overhead wiring, substations, signalling and combined services routes (CSR).
The project includes the rebuilding of Greensborough and Montmorency stations and the duplication of track on some sections of the line.
Over the last nine years, Mr O’Halloran said the working environment at Metro has been hugely supportive, and he has been constantly provided with opportunities to develop and try new things.
Along with other graduates, Mr O’Halloran established the Young Transport Professionals networking group in 2014, which now has over 1,600 members Australia-wide.
Two of the three other graduates who started the program with Mr O’Halloran back in 2013 are also still working for Metro today.
The latest cohort consists of seven graduates, including Zaid Khan, Jia Chua and Kawtar Rahaoui.
Mr Khan and Ms Chua moved interstate to work for Metro and participate in the Engineering Graduate Program.
“Metro is a very large organisation and I’m looking forward to learning about different parts of the business,” Mr Khan said.
Ms Chua has called the work fascinating and said she can’t wait for the next two years.
“It’s a really complex network and I’m interested to see how all of the parts fit together to make it work,” Ms Chua said.
Metro’s CEO, Raymond O’Flaherty, was thrilled to meet the new graduates on their first day at Metro’s head office in Melbourne.
“We’re incredibly proud of our graduate program and its success over the years in attracting and retaining fabulous talent in the industry,” Mr O’Flaherty said.
“We hope our graduates will be future leaders across our organisation who will shape the future of Melbourne’s growing rail network.”
Metro’s next intake for the Engineering Graduate Program (commencing in January 2023) is now open for applications.
Applications close at 11.59pm on Wednesday 14 September.
To apply, go to jobs.metrotrains.com.au
