Holiday spent getting a career on track
There has been little time to relax and unwind after a hard year of study for maritime and logistics management student Ashleigh Harris.
Having won two prestigious prizes at the AMC Graduation and Awards night in December, Ashleigh began vacation work with TasRail just a fortnight after the dinner.
TasRail is keen to work more closely with AMC, given the College’s reputation for excellence and the state-owned rail company’s vested interests in logistics management, Late in 2011, TasRail approached AMC to offer a vacation employment position exclusively to AMC students.
The first AMC student to take up such an opportunity with TasRail, Ashleigh soon found herself working with the Business Development team based in Hobart, for the semester break.
No doubt Ashleigh’s strong academic performance helped her gain the position. At the 2011 awards she received the ASP Ship Management prize for the highest score in logistics, and the Royal Australian Navy prize for the highest overall score in her year. She was also placed on the Principal’s 2011 Roll of Honour list.
The third year Bachelor of Business (Maritime and Logistics Management) and Bachelor of Applied Science (Maritime Technology Management) double degree student is hoping to graduate in December 2014.
The high-achiever is gaining valuable experience at TasRail in a range of business development areas including: data analysis to provide insight into freight flows, total volumes, revenues and trends; as well as performance and opportunities in specific areas of interest. Ashleigh has been working at the Hobart and Launceston sites during the six-week work placement. At TasRail’s East Tamar depot she toured the operations workshops to gain a greater understanding of how the locomotives and wagons are maintained. She says another benefit of vacation work is access to knowledge and professional contacts.
“The benefits go beyond improving my understanding and being able to refer to real-world examples. I am meeting many remarkable people and beginning to develop a life-long network of professional contacts within the industry.”
According to TasRail Business Development Manager, Martin Thorpe, the relationship with AMC is mutually beneficial.
“As we strive to provide world-class short-haul rail freight services in Tasmania, linking our rail interfaces with ports and road, we need to ensure that we provide opportunities for young, enthusiastic and committed students like Ashleigh, so that they can gain experience in their chosen field,''Mr Thorpe said.
“Ashleigh has been able to bring a fresh perspective and cutting edge logistics skills from her studies, and we hope she has gained useful insights from her time with TasRail.”
Self-described as highly ambitious, Ashleigh hopes her hard work will lead to career opportunities in management, and if the current ‘reference’ above is any indication, she is well on track to achieving her goal.
