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ENGINEERING AT SEA AMAZING OPPORTUNITIES ON OFFER
writer PETER WHITE photographer CORPORAL SEAN SPIVEY
“It has been such an amazing experience so far. The Royal New Zealand Navy has a lot of opportunities to travel overseas, so that was a big thing for me choosing them,” says JESSICA LAYBURN . Jessica (21) is in her fourth and final year of a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Canterbury and is set to graduate in November.
She is grateful to be part of the Chatham Scholarship Scheme, a bursary engineering scholarship offered by the Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN).
“The Navy pays for my tuition fees and give me a $9000 allowance on top of that. It is quite relaxed and enables me to study here in Canterbury rather than having to go to Auckland or Massey on the Tangaroa Scholarship Scheme.”
Jessica began the application process halfway through her final year at Onslow College in Wellington.
“It took about a year, so I was actually in my first year of engineering at Canterbury by the time I got into the Navy.
In that first year, I did three weeks of officer training, which was basically fitness and leadership activities and general Navy knowledge. It was held up at the Devonport Naval Base in Auckland.”
What Jessica loves most about her degree are the practical elements involved.
“Every year since the second year, we have had a design course where we get to put together all our knowledge about the theory we have learnt and then design our own things on computers. So, it is quite cool,” she says.
When Jessica graduates, she will do six months of junior officer common training. Then she will complete either the Systems Engineering and Management Course (SEMC) at the Royal Naval School of Marine Engineering in Portsmouth, United
Kingdom or the Marine Engineering Application Course at the Royal Australian Navy’s Engineering Training Facility in Melbourne, Australia.
“It is basically teaching you engineering specific to naval ships and after that, you get posted on a ship. It is very hands-on repairing things on ship, so you know later on how to manage people to do those things.”
Jessica is obligated to serve in the Navy for at least three-and-a-half years as part of her return of service under the Chatham Scholarship Scheme. Her long-term goal is to become a Naval Lieutenant.
Being shown through the Navy’s flagship new vessel HMNZS Aotearoa was an eye-opener for Jessica. The 26,000-tonne tanker and replenishment ship is the largest the RNZN has ever operated.
“When I was doing the selection board to get into the Navy, they showed us Aotearoa and that was incredible. There was so much space and all the technology was so new.”
In Year 13 at Onslow College, Jessica studied Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Maths and Economics. Seeing a poster on the school noticeboard for the Air Force’s School to Skies course triggered her interest in the Defence Force.
“You stay on their base for a week and it is all just for women as well. We got to do a whole bunch of engineering and technical activities which were fun and that is what got me interested in the military.”
