For graduates like Harry White, who aren't keen to pigeonhole themselves too early in their careers, Ventia's graduate program provides great opportunities to experience working in roles across a very diverse business portfolio. 

Harry joined our two-year graduate program at the start of 2022, kicking off with his first rotation in business development within our largest Sector, Defence & Social Infrastructure. Through this rotation he got out into the field, visiting a number of contracts around the country to see first-hand what they do day to day. 

"There's only so much you can learn from behind a desk," Harry says.

Getting out into the field and seeing some of our great people at work was an important opportunity for me when I first started.

With a degree in commerce from the University of Sydney, Harry says he had some ideas about what he wanted to do when he graduated but was open to what parts of the business he experienced and the kinds of projects he was tasked with.

His second rotation was with the Plant team, which among other things, is responsible for managing Ventia's large and diverse fleet, including a growing number of hybrid and electric vehicles. 

"Working in Plant gave me the chance to work on longer term projects with a specific focus, but also paired with a variety of smaller projects and tasks," Harry says. "Because Plant operates across the whole of Ventia, it was a great way to expand my organisational network and meet new people too." 

General Manager Plant Mitchell Carpenter is himself a graduate of the program, having joined it in 2006, so Harry feels that gave him an insider's view of what Harry was experiencing and how to best support him.

"With Mitch and other leaders I have worked with so far, I've found them to have really understood how to manage the graduate experience, and to ensure that I am getting a lot of value out of my time in it." 

Special projects

One of the special projects Harry had the opportunity to work on was research into the impact of delaying the implementation of energy saving projects for one of our key clients. This was done under the guidance of subject matter expert and General Manager - Energy Solutions, Lena Parker. 

"The call went out for grads interested in working on this specific piece of work, and Mitch was supportive of me participating," Harry says. 

I learned a lot about energy efficiency, about the costs of not taking action when it comes to cutting our emissions and making changes to the way we use and source electricity, and generally about the kind of energy solutions that Ventia is able to offer clients.

The project culminated in Harry and two graduate colleagues presenting their research to the client, helping showcase Ventia capability and thought leadership.  

^{Harry joined the team supporting the Santos Aboriginal Power Cup in Adelaide in 2022.}

What the future brings

Whilst he hasn't yet settled on what he wants to focus on for his working career beyond the graduate program, Harry is enjoying his current rotation in the Strategy and Corporate Affairs team.  

"I do tend to gravitate toward the big picture stuff," Harry admits. "Which is handy for my next rotation in the Strategy team." 

"But I also recognise that at this stage in my working life, it's important for me to get practical experience in the operational part of the business and to learn as much as I can about how a large organisation like Ventia works." 

Overall, Harry says he highly recommends those about to graduate consider applying for a graduate program with Ventia. 

There's a place for everyone here.

Visit our website for more information on our graduate program.