“I was able to truly make an impact that made me feel as though I had made another family in my life’s journey,” declares Ambika. “Each and every one played a crucial role in moulding me into a better person and engineer. I know that they are cheering me on and when I graduate in 2021, part of this accomplishment will be dedicated to them.”
The next time you witness the extraordinary creations of local engineering - massive construction, bustling plants, complex planning and operations – there is a good chance that an engineering student of The UWI had a role to play in its development.
Equipped with the knowledge they absorb, many students spend their vacation time working in local companies. Last year several of these students got a close-up look at the world of their future engineering careers. Their duties covered a wide range of tasks which gave them insight into the work lives of engineers.
During his time at Shell Trinidad and Tobago Limited, Civil with Environmental Engineering student Liam Smith gave input and feedback to members of project teams, accompanied colleagues on site visits, and much more. In her weeks at Yara Trinidad Limited, Chemical and Process Engineering student Sharlene Mohammed helped revamp a seawater chlorination system for sea cooling water and worked with draftsmen to update the plant piping and instrumentation diagrams.
Crucially, while their work covered a wide range, the interns’ tasks often related to their fields of study and aligned with their career plans. Among the many tasks he completed during his five weeks at China Railway Construction Caribbean Company Limited, Kyle Simmons felt he particularly gained from participating in quality assurance tests and documentation preparation.
“A lot of the theory I learnt in the classroom was applied on the field,” he says. “Some of my Year 1 knowledge was needed when I had to reproduce drawings of a retaining wall in AutoCad.”
Kyle is in his final year of a degree in Civil with Environmental Engineering. His fellow intern, Chemical and Processing Engineering student Renisha Hercules, worked in the Operations Support Department of Shell and found herself completing tasks right in line with her studies.
The interns’ work was not without challenges. Ambika Jadoonanan, who is pursuing Electrical and Computer Engineering, spent her internship at Proman: “Each work place has persons with various backgrounds and mindsets which have been a product of their individual experiences... you need to learn to observe a situation and act accordingly to ensure the needs of the plant are met and you work cohesively with each other.”
Liam expounds on work relations between interns and regular staff. “I was encouraged to let my voice be heard and to carry out my work at the level of a permanent employee.”
The interns enthusiastically endorse the internship programme because of the opportunities for personal growth.
“I learnt how to interact with people working in different engineering disciplines, in different fields, with different personalities and in different aspects of life,” says Sharlene. “I learnt that in a real life scenario, we must consider the many different aspects of an issue in order to reach a definite conclusion.”
Both Liam and Renisha appreciated being part of a group who developed a presentation on “Millennials in the Workplace”, where they discussed bridging the age gap in the workforce. Renisha felt the presentation gave her valuable insight into what she envisions for her future career. There was a time when people “just looked for a job because you needed a job” but now millennials expect more. “You want to work in an organisation that has the same belief system as you and treasures the same things as you”.
The interns’ advice to other students considering whether or not to try an internship can be summed up with an emphatic “yes”.
“I encourage more such programmes, starting at the year one level,” says Kyle. “Meeting new people and networking are important. An internship programme allows students to network with experienced people within and outside their respective fields.”
Despite the uncertainty created by the global pandemic, Renisha feels optimistic for the options future interns can explore. “Hopefully, in a few months, companies will reopen their doors to students/recent graduates. I urge my fellow students to remain strong and have a positive but realistic outlook on the situation.”
The companies all seem to have embraced their interns, not only helping them explore potential careers but encouraging them and assisting them in forming networks. “I was able to truly make an impact that made me feel as though I had made another family in my life’s journey,” declares Ambika. “Each and every one played a crucial role in moulding me into a better person and engineer. I know that they are cheering me on and when I graduate in 2021, part of this accomplishment will be dedicated to them.”
Based on these interns’ reports, the future of this country’s engineering professionals has not only been shaped by the classroom but by real world experience in several innovative companies. The forthcoming projects of these future UWI graduates will no doubt be intriguing.
