Glenn Matthews
Bachelor of Engineering (1st Class Honours) 1998

UOW Engineering graduate Glenn Matthews is using his 2005 NSW Young Professional Engineer of the Year title to help promote engineering as a career choice for school leavers. The structural engineer, who is co-manager of Northrop Engineers’ Wollongong office, is proud of his profession and wants it to receive more recognition.

Winning the 2005 Engineering Excellence Awards, run by the Sydney Division of Engineers Australia, has provided him with the ideal opportunity to help achieve that, and he has contributed a number of opinion articles to newspapers, extolling the benefits of a career in engineering.

“Engineers make things happen. They lead, invent and, ultimately, change the world. They bring you bridges, robots, Formula One cars, rockets, iPods … you name it,” Glenn said. “And a degree in engineering is truly a passport to the world. There’s a shortage of engineers around the world, and Australian engineers are well regarded internationally.”

Glenn believes engineers are traditionally poor at self-promotion, but he is committed to helping change perceptions of the profession.

Glenn has certainly had a positive experience since graduating from UOW’s Faculty of Engineering in 1998. Seven years later he is a senior structural engineer with Northrop, co-managing the firm’s Wollongong office and responsible for up to 20 projects at a time valued from $100,000 to $20 million.

Glenn said one of the satisfactions of his job is seeing completed buildings that he had worked on. He will soon have that opportunity every day as he travels from his Cronulla home to his Wollongong office. One of his current projects is the Wollongong Gateway, a stylish glass and steel tourism information centre, restaurant and Aboriginal arts complex under construction beside the F6 Freeway at the top of Bulli Pass.

Glenn, who grew up in Menai and attended Menai High School, said he chose to study at UOW because it had a reputation as offering the best Engineering course in NSW.

“It still has that reputation,” Glenn said. “They take a different approach at Wollongong, and the students get a very well-balanced education. You can always tell a UOW-trained engineer.

Glenn said he was surprised when he was named Young Professional Engineer of the Year at the 2005 Engineering Excellence Awards at Sydney’s Westin Hotel’s Grand Ballroom.

“I’d been nominated by my manager in Sydney but people told me that if I was going to win, I’d be contacted beforehand to make sure I was in the audience and ready to give an acceptance speech,” he said. “I didn’t get the call, so I was very surprised when I won. But it’s nice to be recognised by your peers in the industry.”