Tasmanian Irrigation is working with Beacon Foundation to give students from rural and regional schools an insight into the world of work.

With irrigation schemes across the state, and active construction projects, our activities provide many opportunities for young people to learn about a wide range of careers.

Sixteen students from Cressy and Campbell Town Schools were recently treated to an on-site insight into the construction of a new irrigation project when they toured the Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme work site. They talked to engineers, environmental specialists, operators and site supervisors, learning about pathways to a range of careers needed to build an irrigation scheme.

Tasmanian Irrigation team members talked about their education, training and jobs, and what’s involved in delivering a $217.9 million irrigation project that will deliver
25,500 megalitres of highly reliable irrigation water to the State’s farmers.

Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme Project Manager Jacob Tierney said the visit was a huge success in terms of inspiring students to think positively and proactively about their entry into the workforce.

“Tasmanian Irrigation is proud to be working with Beacon Foundation, helping connect the next generation of workers to today’s water industry professionals,” Jacob said.

“There’s no better way for a student to gain an understanding of what Tasmanian Irrigation is all about than by visiting one of our construction sites. A highlight for many of the students was sitting in the operator’s chair of a 36-tonne excavator and hearing what day-to-day tasks are for a variety of careers in civil construction.”

The Northern Midlands Irrigation Scheme is one of Tasmanian Irrigation’s largest irrigation projects with 154 kilometres of pipeline, one pump station, two boost pump stations and one buffer dam under construction. The project is on track to be completed for the 2026/27 irrigation season.

Jacob said: “It’s exciting to be able to show potential future employees all the work that goes into planning, designing and building an irrigation scheme, and it was great that several students expressed interest in apprenticeships.

“The feedback from students was that they learned how many different careers there are in civil construction and that hands-on exposure to the real world of work helped them understand how what they’re doing at school now can set them up for their future.”

The Beacon Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation focused on supporting young people to have the aspiration, motivation and ability to determine their working future.

If you’re interested in working at Tasmanian Irrigation, you can find out about current opportunities here.