As an evolving discipline grounded in the principles of optimised lifecycle management, sustainability and resilience, risk management, data driven decisions and continuous improvement, a career in Asset Management (AM) represents an exciting professional journey and the opportunity to have a lasting impact on society.
As documented in ISO 55000 and the IIMM, people are an essential element of effective AM. From leadership to forward or present-day focused practitioners, it is great people that drive change in an organisation’s AM maturity. The demand for changemakers has never been greater: 10% of Australia’s community infrastructure assets are in poor condition, population projections indicate significant growth over the coming decades and net zero emissions targets are demanding rapid change across all sectors. This demand for skilled practitioners is outpacing supply. The skills shortage is projected to get worse before it gets better and attracting and retaining skilled practitioners is a critical challenge for our industry.
The presentation will focus on the author’s personal career journey, transitioning from the more traditional civil/structural engineering disciplines to AM. The presenter will offer insights to what attracted him to AM in the first place and how organisations and peak bodies can better engage with young professionals in a competitive job market. Six years into his AM transition the presenter will share how both public and private sector practice has shaped his career, providing him a broad skill set and a variety of infrastructure contexts to apply his skills. Furthermore, the presentation will highlight the often-overlooked altruistic nature of AM and how this can be used as a market differentiator to attract and retain talented professionals.
The presentation aims both to inspire young professionals to pursue a rich and rewarding career in AM and to empower organisations to support younger professionals on their career journey.