Jerin Prasad
Project Manager (Graduate), Babcock International
Master of Engineering Project Management student
Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering
As a project manager (graduate) he is responsible for planning and executing projects of work at the dockyard, says engineering alumnus Jerin Prasad who now works for Babcock International, New Zealand's largest ship repair and marine engineering facility.
“Since joining Babcock at the end of 2020, I’ve had an awesome opportunity to further develop my skills, and have been responsible for the successful delivery of two-multimillion-dollar projects, which includes maintaining regular communications of risk, project lifecycles and deliverables to high-profile Royal New Zealand Navy stakeholders and business leaders at Babcock. Through my role I’ve had the opportunity to learn to manage subcontractors and trades teams onsite and working collaboratively with these teams to ensure high health and safety standards are maintained at all times.”
He enjoys being in a work environment that constantly offers new challenges and opportunities to increase his skills.
“My role includes organising material procurement, organising subcontractors and internal trades work, scheduling based on overall project plans, and ensuring health, safety and quality standards are strictly adhered to. I ensure that work is completed well within budget and conduct risk assessments for each project I work on. I also meet with the client regularly to understand their requirements, and update them on the progress of work, and financial and physical work forecasting.”
The right choice
Studying engineering at AUT has prepared him well for his career now, says Jerin who graduated with a Postgraduate Certificate in Engineering at the end of 2020 and is now being supported by Babcock to further his professional development with a Master of Engineering Project Management.
“When I was choosing where to study, I learned that because AUT works with a vast range of engineering industry organisations, its engineering course structure is better suited for the workplace than that of other universities. AUT's engineering professors are known to be more practical and extremely supportive of students. Both these reasons contributed to my decision to choose AUT for my postgraduate studies.”
He has been highly impressed by the academic staff he has met throughout his studies.
“I enjoy learning from the seasoned academics and professionals at AUT as it helps me to stand on the shoulders of giants. The professors I’ve had in my Master of Engineering Project Management have given me a solid understanding of the basics of project management as well as the tools to use them in my workplace. The structured pattern of the programme and the support of professors who have a vast amount of industry experience and are easily accessible make this programme very valuable and coveted.”
Advice for other students
Moving from university to the workplace has its challenges, Jerin admits.
“The transition from being a student to a professional lifestyle can be difficult as it brings on many new responsibilities and a complete change in routine, and it requires efficient time management and the ability to manage people of different age groups. I was fortunate that my mentor and managers at work were able to help me with this transition.”
He would highly recommend the services offered by the AUT talenthub to prepare yourself for your career.
“I first received a call from the AUT talenthub team to discuss the role at Babcock in depth and gauge if I was suitable for this role. They described what I would be doing on a day-to-day basis and what sort of projects I would undertake. This provided me with a personalised discussion of the role; something that I would never get via a traditional job posting on websites like seek.
“For the final stage of my interview, I was required to present a project management topic to the interviewers. The AUT talenthub team was extremely supportive when I asked for an opportunity to present to them. I got to practise my presentation with them multiple times, learning many tips and tricks. This practice session calmed my nerves, and ensured I presented on the day of my interview in a calm and collected manner.”
