Since the establishment of the Scholarship Program in 1972, Clough has awarded more than 300 scholarships to engineering students across a wide range of disciplines including civil, construction management, mechanical, mechatronic, electrical, process, environmental and ocean engineering. Learn more about some of Clough’s Scholarship Alumni below.
 

MEET HAYLEY WHEATLEY, GRADUATE ENGINEER, CLOUGH SCHOLAR 2018

The scholarship has been an incredible platform from which to launch my career. The generous financial support throughout my studies and a place in the Summer Internship Program allowed me to seamlessly transition into the industry that I love.

Receiving the Clough Scholars Program scholarship has been invaluable in my development as a young engineer and I am extremely grateful for the opportunities it has afforded me. The financial support throughout my Master of Professional Engineering degree allowed me to immerse myself in my studies and build a strong technical background in my field; which I was able to put into practice through a place in Clough’s Summer Internship Program where I was given the opportunity to work on challenging and impactful projects, under the mentorship of technical experts at the forefront of their fields. My journey with Clough so far has re-affirmed my passion for engineering and I’m excited to continue to grow as a Clough Graduate.  
 
 

MEET TRISTAN LEWIS, SENIOR PROJECT ENGINEER, CLOUGH SCHOLAR 1999

The Clough scholarship provided financial security during my final year of university and propelled me into a dynamic organisation offering unrivalled opportunities for professional and personal development. 
I didn’t know much about Clough as a company at the time of seeing the advertisement for the Clough scholarship on a university noticeboard in 1998. However, after learning a little about the company’s history and engineering projects I decided that this was a company I’d like to join.  I applied for the scholarship, attended an interview and was notified that I was successful. I was certainly pleased of this result but a little surprised at how seemingly relaxed the process had been. The interview was not technical but more about just getting to know candidates on a personal level. When I started working for the company in March 2000 it sunk in that the focus during the selection process had been to make sure that new people would fit into and excel within the organisation rather than basing selection solely on academic results. All of my new colleagues were easy to get along with, helpful and, of course, knowledgeable. But it was these first two characteristics that made Clough such an enjoyable place to work. Added to this was the variety of projects in terms of my role, the type of project and the location and I knew that I had made the right choice in employer.   
In my current role as a Senior Project Engineer I manage several engineering service projects for one of Clough’s major Western Australian clients. The largest of these is a multi-million-dollar program for the delivery of small engineering projects ranging in size from a handful of hours to more than 500. I manage a multi-discipline team of engineers and we provide production support to all of the client’s Western Australian onshore and offshore assets. 
In my 11 years with the company I have worked on more than 15 different projects. These have been in office locations ranging from the Perth CBD, a wastewater treatment plant in Subiaco, an FPSO vessel off Exmouth, a paddock come gas plant in south eastern Victoria and then a desert in Pakistan. It is the people within Clough’s organisation, the variety of work, the focus on safety, and the courageous attitude of the work group that make Clough both an interesting and rewarding place to work.   

 

MEET ROB RADICI, HEAD OF COMMERCIAL, CLOUGH SCHOLAR 1995

The Clough Scholarship always attracted many applicants; it was the go-to scholarship during my undergraduate years. I still remember applying for my scholarship and drafting the letter which had to accompany it. I re-wrote it a few times; I knew how many applicants would be applying so I wanted to make it as good as I possibly could. I was interviewed by one of Clough’s directors at the time, Geoff Smith, who explained exactly what type of projects Clough delivered around the world. I could tell Geoff was passionate about Clough and he did a great job selling Clough as an employer of choice. I remember leaving that interview thinking how good it would be to work for a company like Clough.

I couldn’t believe it when I received the Clough Scholarship; I was over the moon. Clough formed a positive impression on me even before I became an employee. Here was an engineering and construction company prepared to invest in undergraduate engineers of all disciplines and introduce them into the engineering and construction world. On top of this, I got to meet Harold Clough himself and key staff from various parts of the business. This was incredibly exciting; it gave me a taste of all the different types of roles within Clough and a better understanding about the engineering and construction world that Clough specialised in. As an undergraduate I always felt welcomed when invited to Clough’s offices at Markalinga House, you could feel that the staff were connected like a family.

These early good impressions were further reinforced by the fact that Clough would offer graduate employment to all Clough scholars on a ‘no-strings attached’ basis. It was your call. For me it was an easy decision, I jumped at the chance of joining this company which treated its undergraduates as part of the Clough family. I think this was one of the reasons for the high conversion rate from scholars to graduate employment at the time. I wanted to give something back to Clough in return for its early support and confidence in me.

 

MEET IAN ARMSTRONG, LEAD PLANNER, CLOUGH SCHOLAR 1980

I was lucky enough to receive a Clough Scholarship in my final year of Civil Engineering at the University of Western Australia in 1980. At the time I was just pleased to get some money and the offer of employment which took the pressure off during final exams. I wasn’t to realise the remarkable journey this was starting me on (and which I’m still on 40 years later).

I have been fortunate to see Clough grow from a small local construction company when the entire staff phone list could fit on an A4 sheet of paper to the successful, highly respected multi-national it is today employing thousands of people around the world. Throughout the years I have worked all around Australia and in exotic (and some not so exotic) locations overseas. I have worked with amazing people from within Australia and, through our many joint ventures, from overseas.

Clough has always been ahead of the curve when it comes to market penetration and has continuously adapted to meet changing conditions. It successfully morphed from its origins in building and infrastructure to ride the oil and gas boom and is now recognising the requirement to once again leverage off the increased spending on infrastructure by governments.

One of the most satisfying aspects of working for Clough has been the innovation and desire to think outside the box which Clough has brought to the table when arriving at optimal solutions for problems. This in-house capability is well recognised throughout the industry making Clough a partner of choice.

Despite the many changes in direction and personnel over the years, one thing has remained constant. This is the culture of people first. This is a mantra which many companies aspire to and few attain but which Clough has consistently achieved. I have personally experienced this many times and it is the single most important reason I am still working for Clough. It has its genesis in the fact that Clough was a family business with an owner in Harold Clough who knew the value of the people working for him. He was prepared to place his trust in the capabilities of his employees and they reciprocated with a loyalty that was the envy of the industry.

Despite the fact that it is no longer privately owned, I am pleased that the culture engendered by Harold and implemented by his Managers has been maintained throughout the years and lives on in the current workforce and management. I am sure this will also be the case for future members of the Clough “family.”