I’ve always thought of myself as a naturally analytical person with an interest in all things business-related. So, after finishing high school I went on to complete a Bachelor of Engineering (Chemical) and Bachelor of Commerce (Finance) at Monash University. My time at university was a highlight, I made great friends, took part in societies and had the opportunity to complete a few internships as well.
In my final year, I applied for graduate programs and found that CUB’s GMT program stood out the most, with its cross-functional rotations and global exposure. Fast forward a year and a half, I’ve now finished the GMT program and have started my new role as a Team Leader on one of the bottling lines at our Abbotsford brewery.
Outside of work I’m either reading up on the latest NBA news and highlights or spending time with my dog, Snoopy, on the weekend!
At university, a friend of mine completed CUB’s internship program and had nothing but good things to say, so I was pretty keen to put in an application for the graduate program.
I chose to apply for the GMT program specifically because of the breadth of projects I would have the opportunity to take part in. Having completed a double degree, I was tossing up between pursuing engineering or commerce as my first role out of university. The GMT program had the right balance of a technical immersion at one of our leading breweries, and business projects in sales, marketing and finance based at our head office.
In retrospect, the GMT program was the perfect way to get started at CUB. I developed my understanding in every function of the business, grew my network along the way and had fantastic exposure to the CUB leadership team as well – I couldn’t have asked for more. By the end of the 10-month program, I could make a well-informed decision about where I wanted to start my career.
Honestly, no two days are the same when you’re working in a production environment! As a Team Leader on our bottling line, I’m responsible for production, safety, quality and managing a team of operators and tradespeople on a shift basis. Every day brings its own unique challenges and it’s up to me to tackle problems as they come and make the right decisions at the right time.
On the bottling line, the end-to-end process of filling bottles with beer or cider, pasteurisation, labelling and then the packaging of bottles into six-packs and cases takes place. I’m responsible for adhering to our production schedule, all aspects of safety and quality and managing a team of operators and tradespeople. Working on a shift basis means I rotate between three shifts every week.
I typically start the shift by receiving an update from the previous shift’s team leader on how we’re tracking production-wise and if there are any safety or quality-related concerns I should be aware of. I then run a daily meeting with my team of operators and tradespeople. I start off by mentioning any safety callouts and give them an update of our production schedule and goals for the day. As the day continues, I keep a close eye on our production efficiencies and address any breakdowns of our packaging machinery that we may face. I also complete a full walk of the line talking to everyone in the team about how their machinery is functioning and for them to raise any other callouts they may have to me.
By the end of the shift, I prepare a report summarising our production goals, safety or quality concerns and any technical challenges we may have faced, ready to hand over to the next shift.
Your time at university is a time to discover what your interests are and what motivates you – make the most of this! Having a good understanding of what drives you will help set out where you want to start your career.
Most importantly, be yourself when applying to graduate programs. Don’t be afraid to show your personality and what makes you unique.