Tanuli Vithanachchi left her home in Sri Lanka in 2022 to study engineering more than 8300km away in Geelong.
The 22-year-old is now one of Major Road Projects Victoria’s intern engineers and is following in her mother’s footsteps earning a six-month civil engineering internship.
Tanuli drew career inspiration from her mother, who works as a civil engineer back in Sri Lanka.
With a month of her internship remaining, Tanuli said it had been an excellent learning experience working on the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade.
“Working for Major Road Projects Victoria on the Barwon Heads Road Upgrade is my first professional job,” she said.
“There were a lot of things I didn’t know when I first started, but my manager and the rest of the team were very patient and taught me what I need to know.
“The Barwon Heads Road Upgrade team is helping me develop in my chosen career so I can go to a higher level after I finish my internship.”
Tauli hopes to find permanent work as a project engineer in sustainability and renewables after graduating from Deakin University next year.
Tanuli is urging any woman wanting to become an engineer to pursue their dream.
She advised that women hoping to study engineering could gain support and information from Geelong STEM Hub’s Girls As Leaders in STEM and National Association of Women in Construction.
“If becoming an engineer is something you really want to do, and you have the skills, you should definitely go for it,” she said.
Tanuli is one of the 41 interns gaining on-the-job experience as part of the MRPV Internship Program for 2023, which offers hands-on experience to the next generation of transport infrastructure professionals.
