For a number of years now, Holmes Fire has formed part of an industry tour for students from the University of Maryland participating in a program abroad studying the ‘Global Leadership & International Business in Engineering and Technology’. The course is designed at creating exposure to engineering practice in a global economy. Open to all disciplines of engineering and business students, the group this year included mechanical and aerospace engineering students keen in understanding the broader engineering industry from a global perspective.
Understanding the impact of technology solutions in a global context is crucial for students planning a career in engineering. As part of this course, these students are offered a 3 week trip in Sydney, where they are educated on the cultural aspects of global business and global leadership skills in Australia. The goal of the course is to facilitate the acquisition of these global capabilities in the area of technology and engineering.
Members of our Holmes Fire Sydney team, Alyson & Nick, also graduates of the University of Maryland, presented the principles of Fire Engineering in Australia, and explained to students the differences they face working as Fire Engineers outside of the US. They also discussed the opportunities they have been granted, both cultural and professionally, including the travel and personal development they have been able to experience through working for Holmes Fire. The students were then given an introduction to Structural Fire Engineering and its growing importance to fire engineering, both locally and globally. Prior to being lead on a project site tour, students were given an overview of the complicated fire engineering performance solutions for the iconic Sydney Town Hall, a heritage building project completed by Holmes Fire in 2010 which at present is still undergoing works. During the tour, they were shown the detailed aspects of the fire engineering solutions that were implemented during the building refurbishments and the involvement Holmes Fire had on its delivery.
We welcome students of engineering courses to take advantage of opportunities such as these and for us, it’s great to be able to open our doors to students joining the engineering industry and offer them an insight into our world.
For further information on the course, visit University of Maryland’s course overview.