Renée Gibson

I believe that the facilities Volvo has in Sweden can provide the best training opportunities for me and I admire their drive to become the world leader in sustainable transport solutions by striving above and beyond within their core values of quality, environment and safety.

The biggest reason the industry in Australia struggles to keep up with some of the advancements other countries have achieved around the world, is due to the harsh environment we have and the heavy loads we are distributing over long distances. This limits the use of electric vehicles in certain applications. I hope to become a part of the team who are working towards finding a way to remove these limitations allowing more sustainable vehicles to become a larger part of the industry.

Q: A Global Footprints Scholarship is your opportunity to do more of what you love. What have you done at work that you are proud of or passionate about?

Upon completing my apprenticeship I started my career as a dual trade technician, with the ability to be involved in both mechanical and electrical roles. This was a proud achievement for me to have successfully completed both certificates, and to become the first fully qualified female within our workshop.

In my previous application I stated that my ambition is to take on the challenge of being in a position of leadership, to guide and encourage others. Since then I have had the opportunity to become a mentor for multiple apprentices and have recently been given the supervisor role for the electrical team within our workshop. This was an extremely exciting moment for me within my career and has given me the ability to continue helping others learn and encourage them to create goals that help them achieve.

Q: A Global Footprints Scholarship is for those who are passionate about creating a sustainable future. Describe something you have done at work or are working on, that helps the environment. Why is it important to you?

I have always encouraged people to be conscious of their impact on the environment, especially within a workshop full of toxic chemicals and a large amount of waste from vehicle repairs and plastic packaging.

I think it is extremely important to do our part in following the correct disposal procedures everyday and to recycle or re-use items where possible. This is something that I teach the apprentices to include in every task we complete.

After applying for the BBM scholarship in 2020 I had the chance to have a mentoring session with Nathan Gore-Brown, who is one of the BBM Youth Support Board members. After speaking to him about his career progression and everything he has achieved, it inspired me to enrol in a Diploma of Mechanical Engineering which I will complete at the end of this year. I have also begun basic training for Volvo’s electric trucks and buses. Being in an industry where diesel engines are a large part of the Australian market I hope to gain the knowledge and skills needed to help our research and development teams increase the amount of electric trucks and buses we can implement into our everyday use.

Q: Everyday across the globe, people make breakthroughs for a more sustainable future. What have you seen or heard about that you find inspiring, and why?

I enjoy reading about some of the achievements that our company is accomplishing overseas. Sweden had a successful project with the world’s first ‘emission free’ quarry using automated electric prototypes in 2018. More recently they are the first truck manufacturer to introduce fossil-free steel to their trucks using Swedish steel company SSAB for production. The new heavy-duty electric trucks will be the first to include this steel and has been manufactured so that 90% of the truck can be recycled. Volvo Sweden has also been developing zero-emission hydrogen cell powered trucks with a range of up to 1000km and a refuelling time of less than 15 minutes. This is still in the testing stage and is planned to become commercialised within the next decade.

They also had one of the largest orders recorded worldwide for heavy electric vehicles in 2021.

I am excited for the Australian market to start following in these footsteps.

Q: As a Global Footprints Scholar you can choose to go anywhere in the world. Where would you travel with your Scholarship and why?

I would be extremely thankful for the opportunity to use this scholarship to visit Volvo’s main headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden. I aim to continue expanding on my knowledge and experience within my current trade and hope to find a pathway to move into a role with our research and development team.

I believe that the facilities Volvo has in Sweden can provide the best training opportunities for me and I admire their drive to become the world leader in sustainable transport solutions by striving above and beyond within their core values of quality, environment and safety.

“Renée shows a great understanding of her workplace and industry as a whole and has taken clear steps to improve her own knowledge and help others around her. Renée appears to have a genuine passion for sustainability and has displayed a clear and well thought out plan on how to use this opportunity to make an impact”

- Dean Hunter, Global Footprints Assessor