At Vertech Group, we proudly offer graduates a chance to excel in their chosen career paths. From engineering to technical scopes of work. We asked a few of our current graduates how their time at Vertech Group has been so far; read their answers below:
What motivated you to pursue a graduate role in this field?
- To learn best practices in software development and gain more experience developing in a commercial role.
- I like the engineering mindset and how versatile and practical engineering can be. It’s something I can use in professional environments and general day-to-day activities.
- Then, delving deeper into that, I chose to pursue a grad role at Geo Oceans because of the ROVs and innovation I saw in the company. I look forward to working in an innovative and technical company, working on and improving ROVs. It’s creating ROVs that take people away from danger and genuinely improve the way we work. There is so much room for growth, and being early in my career provides great opportunities.
- Gain practical experience and develop employable, industry-specific skills in my field. I want to forge a career in industry rather than academia/research.
- I was interested in mechanical engineering from school, so I pursued it as a degree at UWA. The job description for this role at Vertech was similar to the interesting things I had learned, so it was a great idea.
What skills have you developed during your time in your graduate role?
- These skills are still being developed. However, I have been working on the following:
- Social Skills (Speaking up for tasks, generally being part of the team)
- Development Skills (MVVM, DevOps, Best Coding Practices)
- Management skills: I shied away from management prospects for reasons I am unsure why. However, having led and managed the graduate program, I have had a massive amount of development in this area, which I am enjoying and am good at.
- Learning how to say no, and I don’t know, is so underrated; it is important to voice when you cannot or don’t know something. This is an area I never understood how vital this would be, and it has been a real development point for me.
- Cad modelling – specifically with inventor; I had done hobby CAD modelling before working at Geo Oceans. I have more experience and skill in professional engineering drawings with manufacturing details.
- On a role-specific level, my data processing and interpretation skills have improved beyond what I thought possible when I started, while my professional interpersonal skills have also greatly improved.
How have you found working at Vertech?
- The culture is quite good; it is one of the best places I have worked. Highlights for me are:
- Freedom of Work. (I can work on my software projects and am trusted to get things done)
- Flexibility of Hours. (Freedom to pick what times I start and end work, within reason, has been a godsend)
- Quality of People. (Everyone has been so kind and willing to help out.)
- Company culture is generally good, with supportive, open staff willing to listen and give advice. Being early in my career, this area is influential and helps massively with personal and professional development.
- The culture and environment of my team (BOMS) are amazing and a large reason why I enjoy my job so much. As for the wider Vertech Group, all the company groups get along very well, creating a good work environment.
- The culture/work environment is very good. Everyone is super nice and happy to help when you ask. Everybody feels very close and friendly, and social events are great.
How have you overcome challenges you’ve faced in a graduate role?
- I did lots of reading and research to self-teach the skills I required to complete the software development tasks I was given.
- Approaching Vertech management about reforming the graduate program and gaining a mentor who provides great advice and insight.
- Broadening my role includes skills I was previously a complete novice at. Spending time offshore/away. With the support of my company and team, these challenges have been overcome and now form a large portion of my role within the business.
- At the start of the role, I had many questions about the processes involved with reporting and inspections, so that was probably the biggest hurdle. However, I had the support of the other grads to help me with those by asking heaps of questions to the grad team and taking lots of notes.
Have you had the opportunity to work on any interesting projects?
- Yes, my two main projects are wildly different from each other and have been quite interesting. They have forced me to learn quite a bit, which is often the best part.
- Yes, I have had the opportunity to work on and develop ROV tooling, which is interesting.
- For sure, a handful of projects have really interested me, while the majority are at least enjoyable to be a part of.
