Ampol
5 opportunities
Australia
5001-10,000 employees
Burning Questions with Ampol Graduates
We reached out to the current group of Graduates in the Ampol Grad Programme from their varying degree disciplines and within different rotations, to ask them some burning questions, as requested by students. Thank you to the Ampol Grads for their time and effort. Let’s see what they have to say!
Quinton
The University of Queensland ,Bachelor of Electrical Engineering
Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in?
Ampol, Electrical & Instrumentation Engineer.
What was the first 6 months like? What have you really enjoyed?
My first 6 months was familiarizing myself with the refinery, instrumentation and processes at Ampol. Personally, instrumentation was fairly new to me and it was difficult at the start but my colleagues were very supportive and encouraging.
In my learnings, I really enjoyed the aspect of being able to see what I was working on to gain a better understanding with the help of visual aid.
Was your position as you expected it to be? Was anything surprising?
The position was what I expected it to be. From the development of the graduate program, the base knowledge was well introduced to the point that it flowed onto the general work for my position.
The most surprising thing would be being involved and learning from other engineering disciplines such as process and mechanical. This also provided myself to develop general knowledge from engineers in those fields as well.
What is the longest day you have worked and have you had to work Saturdays at all?
The longest day I have work would be from about 10 hours which is quite rare and dependent on the project. From the time I have started (since 2020), I haven't worked on the weekend.
What sort of work do you do, day to day?
My day to day work consists of the following: Projects, Datasheets, Maintenance and Troubleshooting.
Projects involves the design and commissioning of new equipment. The time frame of projects usually range anywhere from 1 to 5 years.
Datasheets are a regular request from reliability and maintenance team to update any changes or findings in the refinery.
Maintenance and Troubleshooting is generally reactive work on equipment that has issues and it is a priority to get back online.
What projects have you worked on?
Installation of Vibration and Temperature Monitoring for a Compressor, Installation of Temperature and Level Gauges on Tanks, Installation of Gas Detector Systems and Installation of New Motors.
What systems do you use?
Ampol uses different databases (dependent on the equipment or general use), Microsoft Office programs (word, excel, visio etc.) for the main bulk of work. Other teams may use other programs for their work.
What sort of support do you get from your work? Either from your direct leader or the company in general?
There is a large network of support from Ampol. The first point of contact personally would be within my team then leads of other specialty teams (such as mechanical & process engineering). Everyone is supportive and guides me to the correct person if an answer isn't known.
What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role? Is this different to what you thought you would need?
I don't believe there is a particular skills set required to succeed in my role rather it would be an attitude to be willing to learn and ask questions.
And finally, what sort of perks are offered by your organisation?
Ampol offers flexible working hours and happy to support desired learnings in relation to your role. Ampol offers employee incentive rewards for achievements (through employee nominations) and annual work objectives.
Dalina
Macquarie University,Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering
Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in?
Ampol Australia, Data & Analytics
What was the first 6 months like? What have you really enjoyed?
The first 6 months felt like a few weeks (times flies by when you're having fun)! What I really enjoyed was how welcoming and helpful everyone was, whether they were a direct teammate or someone in the broader business.
Was your position as you expected it to be? Was anything surprising?
My placement within the B2B Pricing Team was eye opening as I learnt about all the different components that make up the price Ampol charges a customer.
What is the longest day you have worked and have you had to work Saturdays at all?
The longest day I've had to work so far would be 9am-8pm (not a recurring thing!)
There hasn't been a need to work Saturdays to date.
What sort of work do you do, day to day?
The project currently consuming most of my time involves formulating a test and learn plan to support the roll out of new products. This involves stakeholder engagement to understand our data sources and what KPIs we're looking to measure once products have gone live.
In parallel, I'm also putting together dashboards for multiple areas of the business to report on both operational and financial performance.
What projects have you worked on?
In this team, I've worked on building dashboards and reports, data analysis, automating processes and creating data models.
What systems do you use?
Microsoft PowerBI, Dataiku, SAP, Allegro and Excel
What sort of support do you get from your work? Either from your direct leader or the company in general?
My direct leaders have always been available to answer my questions and provide guidance where needed. I've also been fortunate enough to receive the same support from teammates and stakeholders from different parts of the business.
What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role? Is this different to what you thought you would need?
To succeed in my current role, there are a number of skills I think are crucial. These include but are not limited to analytical thinking, problem solving skills and excellent communication skills.
And finally, what sort of perks are offered by your organisation?
Generous discount off fuel products!