Construcciones Yamaro: McConnell Dowell at the forefront of a new engineering era
McConnell Dowell is developing engineering talent for a changing industry through on-site experience, flexible training and long-term support. Steel pylons emerge from harbour shallows, crane jibs stretch into the early light, and engineers walk the decks with tablets in hand, matching digital precision to boots‑on‑deck awareness. As remote work reshapes the profession, the company offers something increasingly rare: on-site exposure, practical learning and a people-first approach to developing engineers.
Those people include general manager of engineering for Australia, Katrina Dodd, whose career has traced the profession’s full arc.
“I’m a marine structural engineer by background, and that is very much my passion,” says Dodd. “I’ve worked across the full project lifecycle, from an EPCM firm, moving into design and now construction.”
Following stints in Canada and remote port projects spanning four continents, Dodd joined McConnell Dowell in Sydney, completing a professional circuit that mirrors the company’s national reach.
“People often ask me how engineering can take you around the world,” she says. “My career is a pretty good example of exactly that.”
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Developing capability
With broad experience behind her, Dodd sees supporting future engineers as a fundamental aspect of the job.
“It is really about recognising that the industry, not just universities or apprenticeship programs, is currently responsible for shaping the next generation of engineers,” she says. “Collectively, we are the custodians of that future.”
McConnell Dowell puts that belief into action through a rotational graduate program designed to build capability under real project pressure. Graduates work across disciplines and geographies, gaining not just skills but resilience.
“It’s up to us collectively to develop well‑rounded engineers who can serve the industry over the next 50 years,” says Dodd. “There’s no one else steering that effort but us.”
Working flexibly
Engineering careers are no longer tied to long-term site placements – a shift accelerated by the pandemic and reshaped by changing expectations. Dodd recalls graduates who entered the workforce without having completed practicals, and others who experienced their first projects via video call.
“Many of them missed that cohort experience and came in without that informal network,” she says. “Then they’re working remotely, so they’re not forming the human bonds that are so important early in a career.”
Without deliberate intervention, she warns, early-career engineers risk becoming isolated.
“Traditionally, you would bond on site or in the office, then move together from project to project,” says Dodd. “That sense of team is harder to build now, and we have to work harder to make sure it happens.”
Remote work has extended access to a broader talent base, but it also demands clearer structure. McConnell Dowell is creating flexibility through part-time leadership roles, remote options and adjusted hours, while also adapting its training to support different learning styles and situations. Tailored pathways, online modules and flexible formats are designed to meet people where they are.
“As an industry, we have to stay curious, and we have to keep adapting. Too often, we fall back on “set and forget” models for training,” says Dodd.
“Many development models are still shaped by the belief that future engineers must follow the same path as those who came before them. That approach will not get us where we need to be. We need to actively engage with people and ask how they want to learn, rather than assume we already know.
“We need training programs that cater to different learning styles: visual, auditory, interactive, self-paced – whatever helps people retain and apply what they are learning. The goal is to help people build their own toolkits of skills.”
Digital tools support scale, but face-to-face interaction remains irreplaceable.
“When we prepare a tender, we still get the team in the same room,” says Dodd. “That kind of real-time collaboration cannot be replicated online.”
Experience pathways are also shifting. With fewer young engineers able or willing to relocate, on-site learning can no longer be assumed.
“We have to be intentional about creating those opportunities,” says Dodd. “We do not just look at the current project; we also talk about what comes next. That means understanding each person’s goals and making sure they get the exposure they need to grow.”
Technology has become a central tool, from virtual walkthroughs to clash detection and artificial intelligence (AI) integrated workflows. But tools are not enough.
“We trust what we see on screen, and that can lead to basic errors – things that would have been caught if someone had paused to interrogate the drawing,” says Dodd. “That engineering instinct, that critical thinking, still matters, and McConnell Dowell is working to preserve it.”
The company recently hosted an AI week, inviting engineers across levels to explore practical applications.
“Experienced engineers know what problems need solving. Less-experienced engineers often have the technical know-how to solve them,” says Dodd. “It really comes down to attitude – being curious, open and willing to bridge the gap.”
That curiosity flows both ways. AI tools were presented not as novelties but as assistants, auto-populating project details, flagging conflicts and predicting weather windows. Conversation defined the sessions, turning generational difference into shared understanding, not just shared information.
Bridging generations
The company’s mentoring model reinforces that ethos. Graduates are paired with experienced engineers early in the graduate program.
“We have a wonderful culture of knowledge-sharing, and a real legacy of people who are driven by that,” says Dodd. “Younger engineers might not arrive thinking mentorship is important to them, but they come to see the value in those conversations.”
Those relationships often outlast the formal program, evolving into lasting networks.
“Engineers are natural problem-solvers. If you tell them there’s a challenge to fix, they are all over it,” says Dodd. “That’s the sweet spot – when different generations tackle shared challenges from different angles. That’s where real value is created.”
McConnell Dowell also understands that capability follows purpose.
“Engineering has the opportunity to be a leading voice across industry,” says Dodd. “We build bridges, ports, infrastructure that entire towns grow around. If we connect young people’s instincts with that outcome, we can bring in the next wave of engineers and keep them.”
Helping the next generation recognise that potential is an industry-wide challenge. The goal, Dodd says, is for school kids to say, “‘I want to be an engineer when I grow up,’ not ask, ‘What is engineering?’”
People first
McConnell Dowell is not just responding to change; it is using it to shape a stronger, more capable workforce.
“At the end of the day, we are a people business. If we invest in developing capable people, we can overcome a lot of the things that slow us down. But capability does not arrive ready-made. We have to build and nurture it,” says Dodd. “That is our job. And we take it seriously.”
The post McConnell Dowell at the forefront of a new engineering era appeared first on Inside Construction.
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