From intern to casual worker to a part of a grad program, Harvey Michels\u2019 path into engineering has been smooth sailing since first working at Saab Australia in 2022.\u00a0He\u2019s now part of the team working on combat system for the Royal Australian Navy\u2019s (RAN) Hunter-class frigates, contributing to one of Australia\u2019s most advanced naval programs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most days of the week, Harvey Michels\u2019 trip from his desk to get a coffee reminds him that he\u2019s working on something big.<\/p>\n
As a Saab Australia graduate engineer, Harvey is part of the Combat Systems Integrated Project Team (CSIPT) and is based at Adelaide\u2019s Osborne Naval Shipyard, where the local caf\u00e9 gives him an inspiring view of some of the vessels under construction or in for upgrade.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBeing at the shipyard, you\u2019re right up close to the work as it happens,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a Hobart\u2011class ship is there, you walk past it on the way to the caf\u00e9. Seeing something that significant up close makes the work feel very real.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
While he sees a Hobart vessel three days a week, Harvey\u2019s key focus for the moment is the six future Hunter-class vessels currently in detailed design and the early stages of construction for the Commonwealth. As a Graduate Nav and Comms Systems Engineer, he helps manage and maintain the requirements and documentation that ensure the ship\u2019s navigation and communications systems are fully integrated into the combat system.<\/p>\n
He\u2019s learning all the time and takes pride in knowing his work is playing a role in developing an asset that will help to keep Australia safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s rewarding to know that something you\u2019ve worked on will eventually make its way onto the ship,\u201d he says. \u201cI can see it now in the 3D model and, hopefully, in five or six years, I\u2019ll be able to see it in the actual ship because of the contribution I\u2019ve made.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
A combat system to keep Australia safe\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ensuring the combat system on Hunter-class vessels is world-class and able to manage complex, modern threats is the responsibility of three major defence companies working in close cooperation. BAE Systems is leading the overall ship design and build, Lockheed Martin is providing its Aegis combat system, and Saab is developing an Australian Interface that will bring the ship\u2019s sensors, weapons and communications together. The Australian Interface will also enable the Hunter class vessels to integrate seamlessly with other fleet assets using Saab\u2019s Australian Combat Management System (Aus CMS), including Anzacclass frigates equipped with 9LV.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The CSIPT is responsible for delivering and integrating the combat system, and he works three days a week at a multi-company shared office at Osborne Naval Shipyard and two days a week at Saab\u2019s head office at Mawson Lakes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Learning in a complex environment\u00a0<\/p>\n
On a typical day, Harvey works across requirements and design documentation, helping ensure the ship\u2019s navigation and communications capability is clearly defined and aligned within the wider combat system. He spends much of his time updating technical documents and managing requirements in specialised tools, making sure everything flows through from high-level design to individual systems. Working closely with senior engineers and other teams, he also collaborates across the project to keep the many interconnected elements of the combat system on track.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are many highly experienced people here who\u2019ve been working on these systems for 10, 20, even 30 years, and they bring an incredible depth of knowledge,\u201d Harvey says. \u201cI work closely with them \u2013 asking lots of questions and learning from their experience to make sure I\u2019m on the right track.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
From internship to graduate\u00a0<\/p>\n
While the path from university to meaningful employment can be challenging for some, Harvey says his association with Saab Australia has made the process smooth sailing.<\/p>\n
He successfully applied for an internship with Saab in 2022 while completing a double degree in Mechanical Engineering and Mathematics at the University of Adelaide. That experience led to ongoing casual work in Saab\u2019s civil division, supporting software projects while completing his degree. Long before he completed his studies, Harvey was offered a place in the graduate program which he willingly accepted.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have felt really supported throughout my time at Saab \u2013 from my internship into an undergraduate role and then the graduate program,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe progression was seamless, and everything aligned really well.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n
Working within the CSIPT has also given Harvey early exposure to the scale and complexity of a major defence program. With multiple companies contributing to a single capability, collaboration is essential \u2013 and it\u2019s an environment where he\u2019s been able to quickly build confidence.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From intern to casual worker to a part of a grad program, Harvey Michels\u2019 path into engineering has…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":636552,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-636551","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636551","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=636551"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/636551\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/636552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=636551"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=636551"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=636551"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}