Staff from across the Sugar and Renewables business spent a few hours at James Cook University recently to connect with future engineers.

The Industry Night - held on 18 March - was the first on the 2026 calendar for James Cook University's Engineering Undergraduate Society (EUS).

Wilmar Sugar and Renewables has a long-running partnership with the EUS, giving us a strong presence at industry nights and the chance to speak with the engineers of tomorrow about career pathways within the business.

Group Manager Engineering Design Jarryd Knickel said the event was well attended and there was a lot of interest in Wilmar's Graduate Program and Vacation Placement Program.

“The night engages with undergraduate engineers from 1st year through to 4th year, representing all of the main disciplines of Chemical, Mechanical, Electrical and Civil,” Jarryd said.

“The students were really interested to understand what Wilmar Sugar and Renewables does, and what a day in the life of an engineer at Wilmar is like. They were also keen to understand how they can apply for vacation placement and graduate opportunities.”

Jarryd said a large proportion of Wilmar's engineering staff had graduated from JCU, and it was important to maintain a connection with the university, and support the development of the next generation of engineers who might one day work for the business.

The new 3D printed mill model that was developed for internal training purposes was utilised as a visual aid at the Industry Night, and was a good conversation starter with the students.

Staff from our Engineering, Operations and People & Culture teams represented Wilmar at the Industry Night, alongside Jarryd. They were Training Superintendent Daniel Shipard, Manager Design Engineering Paul Britton, Project Engineer Kai Meloni, Kalamia Mill Manager Operations Jessica Wilson and Mechanical Design Engineer Philip Atkinson.

The next EUS Industry Night will be held in the second half of the year.