Dr Noel Miller: a walk down memory lane to the future of engineering

What is your connection to VU? Any favourite memory?

"My connection with VU goes back to February 1962 when I enrolled in the tertiary level Diploma of Mechanical Engineering program. The program was delivered over five years and I spent a lot of time traveling between the Nicholson Street and Footscray Park campuses to attend lectures and complete the practical work.

"As a self-directed lifelong learner, I came back to VU and studied part time in my retirement and in 2004, I graduated with a Master of Education majoring in Education and Training.

"A favourite memory for me has been the lifelong friendships I developed with my fellow engineering students from the 1960’s, which continues to this day. Each year the Footscray Technical College Mechanical Engineering Old Boys enjoy a biannual lunch at the Young and Jackson Hotel, adjacent to the Flinders Street Station, which provides a great opportunity to renew our lifelong friendships."

How would you describe your career journey?

"My career journey has been interesting and rewarding. I was fortunate to have commenced my career as a professional engineer during the 1960’s when Australia had a diverse and vibrant manufacturing sector.

"During my career, I worked in a variety of sectors across three states including Victoria, Queensland, NSW and back to Victoria. My experience included the manufacture of heavy engineering products such as the first high strength steel, bottom dumping railway wheat wagons, construction equipment and mobile cranes. I then gained further professional engineering experience in non-ferrous mining with Mt Isa Mines in Queensland.

"I eventually returned to Victoria and spent the bulk of my career in the automotive sector working for Ford Australia in a variety of supervisory roles in mechanical engineering and then as my career progressed, I was promoted to management role and worked in strategic human resources including organisational change and salaried administration, learning and development including responsibility for the technical training of employees as well as the training of over four hundred of the company’s apprentices. Other responsibilities included management of VET and university relationships and the management of the Ford / Universities collaborative research and development program in stamping manufacturing.

"During my employment with Ford Australia, I was fortunate to be able to visit the Ford Motor Company’s operations in Europe and North America. My VU education enabled me to achieve all of the above."

During your recent visit to the Footscray campuses, what were the biggest changes you noticed?

"I remember very clearly from my time as a student how the learning environment and the teaching and learning resources and facilities were limited, lean and austere. There were limited library facilities and student recreational facilities, counselling, welfare and employment facilitation were virtually non-existent.

"All of my lectures were delivered long hand on black chalk boards or on white boards and students were required to take notes in long hand as well as complete engineering calculations using a slide rule, which has long since become a rare collectors’ item. The educational pedagogy back then was very teacher centred while for students the educational experience tended to be based more on rote learning.

"The great benefit of IT and educational innovations has been that they have combined to help change the educational pedagogy and in turn change the student educational experience so that the learning has become more student centred which has enabled students to embrace the concept of self-directed lifelong learning.

"What impressed me compared with my time as a student at VU, were the quality of the learning environments and the teaching and learning facilities and resources, the library facilities and the focus on the student recreational facilities, counselling, welfare and employment facilitation. I only wish I had them during my time."

What motivates you to give back?

"I have always been a strong believer in the transformative power of education because it provides people with the opportunity to achieve and realise their true potential in life. I have had the good fortune to have received a well-rounded education from VU and I am proud that my VU education has enabled me to become an active member of the engineering profession.

"I am now at a stage in my life where I am keen to share my professional experience with the next generation of engineers who are seeking to develop their experience through exposure to professional engineering practice.

"I do that by mentoring engineering students who are studying to complete their PhDs in the application of lightweight high strength materials in the automotive sector. I also work part time as an Accreditation Visit Manager with Engineers Australia where I work collaboratively with universities and registered training organisation to evaluate the implementation of their engineering programs and how these programs align with the professional practice standards of Engineers Australia."