Sylvester Perera won a great job in engineering before he’d even finished his studies thanks to Chisholm’s industry links

During Sylvester’s final year of his Bachelor of Engineering, we organised a work placement for him with the Dandenong based company, Hilton Manufacturing.

‘At the end of the course, the manager said there’s this opening coming up, you want to put your hand up for it. So I went for it – and here I am!’ said Sylvester.

It’s a fitting result for Sylvester, whose commitment and results saw him recognised as Chisholm’s Higher Education Student of the Year in 2016.

‘Engineering is just a term for problem solving...If you are a good problem solver and you have a keen eye for details, you can go chasing an engineering course,’ he said.

Sylvester loves his work as a Quality Inspector with Hilton, a family-owned sheet metal fabricating business servicing the defence, truck, caravan and health sectors.

Working on the factory floor is exactly where Sylvester wants to be right now.

‘It gives you a wider perspective on how manufacturing works ... you have a much better understanding on how you should design,’ he said ‘I think I chose the right position to start at to go high up the ladder.’