What caught her attention was the opportunity to complete three specialised rotations across different sectors, providing broad exposure and experience.
Holly dove into the program with her first rotation in the Transport sector, working on the North East Link project in Victoria. There, she applied her design background to help prepare and review activities in the lead up to Ventia’s tunnel operations. “It was such a cool project to work on in my first rotation—I got insight into the behind-the-scenes processes,” Holly says.
Her second rotation took her into a corporate setting with the Plant Optimisation team. With a background in environmental sustainability from her university studies, Holly focused on emissions analysis while sharpening her Excel skills. “This was an area I had never considered before, so it was cool to learn about something completely new,” she reflects.
Currently, Holly is three months into her final year of the program, working in Sustainability and Innovation, again within the Transport sector. Drawing on her past Transport experience and passion for sustainability, Holly now analyses data and identifies opportunities to reduce emissions.
It’s a great stepping-stone for where I see myself in the future.
Holly with the Graduate Steering Committee at Ventia's Melbourne Cremorne office.
Saorla Finucane, Holly’s current manager, says having a graduate join the team has been a great experience. “Holly arrived with valuable insights from her previous placements in Group Plant and Transport Operations, which has helped us think more broadly about how we might continue to decarbonise within the Transport sector.”
Holly’s strong data analytics skills, developed during her university studies and now at Ventia have allowed her to make an immediate impact. She’s been supporting both sector level and contract level initiatives—diving straight into complex workstreams with confidence and enthusiasm.
“I’ve always been passionate about supporting those in their early career,” Saorla adds.
Working with Holly has reinforced that she’s been eager to contribute and learn wherever she can. I’m really enjoying the experience of sharing my knowledge with someone so enthusiastic.
A highlight of the program for Holly has been the connections she's made with fellow grads. “It’s fun sharing experiences and super valuable for networking, learning what others are working on and what opportunities are out there,” she says. Site visits have also been a standout, including trips to Transport contracts and even a Defence base, allowing her to see the real- world impact of Ventia’s work.
One especially memorable project was the Innovation Challenge - a program where grads team up to tackle a business challenge. Over two months, Holly collaborated with her group to develop an initiative that captures ideas from leader learning conversations. Their efforts helped lead to the launch of VenSpark, Ventia’s refreshed innovation platform.
Holly and the Innovation Challenge team moments before presenting their award-winning project.
It really helped me grow my innovation and presentation skills, and I got to connect with a broad range of stakeholders across Ventia.
As she approaches the end of her graduate journey, Holly says the program has been instrumental in shaping her early career. “It’s given me a much clearer idea of what I want to pursue, most likely in Environmental Sustainability within the Transport sector.” For Holly, the biggest takeaway has been the opportunity to explore different roles and gradually discover where her passions lie.
There’s so much going on at Ventia and being able to learn about it all before locking into one path has been incredibly helpful.