About us
Our initiatives
Aptus is committed to addressing and providing lasting contributions towards issues around us. Behind our work, we aspire to use our voice and address these challenges we witness in society. A fundamental element of what we stand for is the well-being of people. Working with people every day, and we recognise the importance of a safe and healthy community. Our initiatives thus far have been supporting people with mental health issues, the safety of bushfire victims, and the underprivileged.
#IWantToBeAnEngineer ChriSTEMas Giveaway
It’s never too early to introduce STEM to children. Instilling an attitude of exploration among toddlers and encouraging a systematic and logical approach to problem-solving among older children is key.
Also, the completion of tertiary STEM education among women in Australia is far lower than men – at only 20.8% (Source: AusGov) despite women and men being equally capable of a successful career in STEM.
We wanted to inspire our next generation of innovators, both boys and girls, to explore engineering through fun and education. We helped 10 professionals in the Built Environment industry pick out an interactive ChriSTEMas gift for their young one.
Mental Health Awareness in Property Survey 2020
Mental health issues are becoming increasingly prevalent in Australian workforces. Aptus wanted to understand the extent of mental health illness in the property sector, the level of awareness, and if employers are providing adequate support.
Aptus upskilled several of our staff to be qualified Mental Health First Aiders. In addition, we invited 10 of our clients from global consulting engineering firms to boutique engineer groups to join us. This prompted Aptus to run a survey over 2 weeks (5/2-18/2) to help promote the need for Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training in the Property sector. As such, we hope to encourage as many employers to train their staff in this area as well.
What have we achieved?
We achieved our first goal – we got people talking (and sharing).
It is important to us that people who are suffering from mental health issues have faith. We want people to believe that they are not alone. From this survey, we see that people in the industry are acknowledging that workplace stress and pressure are resulting in mental health issues. Evidently, this happens far too often to many people. Often times, it has a long-lasting, severe impact on people’s personal and professional lives.
Above all, we listened. Aptus believes that by listening and talking about mental health issues, we can make a bigger difference in the industry together.
An average day is 11 to 12 hours, with every second Saturday. These hours are unsustainable and unnecessary. It is a high stress environment, unforgiving and shows a lack of empathy to the workers and their families. Questioning the long hours is not tolerated.
Australian bushfires
Aptus has chosen to donate $1000 to the Gippsland Emergency Relief Fund (GERF) and RSPCA Victoria who have been supporting impacted families and animals during this tough time.
This has gone towards providing financial assistance and immediate support for Gippsland residents and affected animals. Many residents in Gippsland have lost their homes or had their property damaged. Animals affected by the fires also require treatment, and funds also go towards the long-term rescue of animals affected by the fires.
Help residents getting back on their feet: gerf.org.au
Help vulnerable animals in need: rspcavic.org
Sleep at the 'G 2018
The Aptus team participated in Sleep at the ‘G organised by Melbourne City Mission (MCM) in 2018 to put homelessness to bed.
Over 8,000 young people in Melbourne have no safe place to call home. Violence, abuse and trauma are major drivers into homelessness for young people in Victoria. A young person can remain trapped in the cycle of poverty and lose all hope of reaching their full potential. Working with people every day, we realise the importance of a healthy community with access to the opportunities they deserve.
