Airservices is a government-owned corporation providing safe, secure, efficient and environmentally responsible services to the aviation industry. We manage air traffic operations for around 75 million passengers on more than three million flights every year.

Tuyen Nguyen

 Personal information

• Full name: Tuyen Ngoc Nguyen
• Job title: Graduate
• Age: 23
• University attended: University of Adelaide
• Degree obtained: Bachelor of Engineering (Aerospace) with Honours

Career History

During my final year of university, I undertook a year-long honours project sponsored by Defence with a team of four other undergraduates. The brief was to design and build an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle for maritime applications.  It was this experience that first developed my love for the conceptual planning and implementation of projects to deliver meaningful outcomes with a budget and schedule in mind. I joined the 2011 Airservices Australia graduate program immediately after completing my degree to kick-start my career in aviation.

Why did you choose Airservices Australia?

Like many other university undergraduates, I spent much of my final year frantically applying for different graduate programs. Due to the relatively small aerospace industry in Australia at the time, the majority of the available choices were in the mining and mechanical engineering sectors. I had always known that these sectors would never be the long-term career path of choice for me.

When Airservices offered me a structured graduate program in the industry of air traffic control, I jumped at the opportunity to begin a truly aerospace-related career. Since joining the program, this decision has been without regret. I have been doused with opportunities for continuous professional development in an industry that is foreseeing many challenges ahead as air traffic increases. 

What rotations did you complete?

To date I have completed, or am in the process of completing, rotations in:

  • Technology & Asset Services / Planning & Integration
  • Technology & Asset Services / Project Delivery
  • Safety & Assurance / Project Safety Services

Within Technology and Asset Services, the Planning and Integration business unit provided excellent exposure to the role that engineering specialists play with respect to designing the technical solution to be implemented for a project. The Project Delivery business unit gave me the opportunity to explore the world of project management and interaction with other business groups to deliver outcomes.

My Safety and Assurance rotation in Project Safety Services is still in progress, however I have developed a deep appreciation for the processes that Airservices takes to ensure that projects are implemented safely. It has so far been a valuable experience especially as safety is Airservices’ number one priority. 

What has been your greatest challenge? What was your best experience?

Coming straight from a university environment where all project activities are conducted by one internal team, adapting to Airservices’ organisational structure proved to be my greatest challenge. Contrary to my university experiences, resources (personnel) in Airservices need to be requested from the appropriate business unit if a team member with the necessary skill set does not exist to complete the task.

My best experience was attending a Critical Project Review for the first time during my rotation in Project Delivery. It was incredibly insightful to observe how Critical Project Reviews can be used to reform or improve the current management of a project to deliver outcomes according to the budget and schedule as predicted.

What training have you had throughout the graduate program?

Prior to commencing my first rotation, I was provided with several training courses including a:

  • Corporate Induction: an overview of Airservices’ corporate structure and values
  • ATC Awareness: an overview of Air Traffic Control in Australia
  • Leaders Leading: a course to build us to be Airservices’ future leaders.

In addition to the on-the-job training throughout the graduate program, I have taken a formal training course in using DataViewer (an application used by Airservices to manage technical drawings) and online modules for a multitude of subjects.

 What are your career plans?

My experiences in university and Airservices have inspired me to become a Certified Practising Project Manager. Project Management Forums are held every two months within Airservices, which I attended during my Project Delivery rotation and will continue to attend. Becoming an effective Project Manager will provide me with the confidence to progressively increase in management responsibilities within the organisation.