The new school year has started and this means that seven new trainees will be starting their internship at NEDCON. This time, five Bachelor students from HAN University of Applied Sciences and Saxion University of Applied Sciences start, who follow various studies, from Mechanical Engineering to International Business and Management Studies. From the University of Twente, we have two students pursuing a Master’s in Mechanical Engineering. A lot of students with diverse studies and tasks. What does such an internship look like at NEDCON and what makes us unique?
In-house coaching through the Innovation Hub
As this is the first time (or one of the first times) they get to fully immerse themselves in the day-to-day activities at a company, it is important to make sure they leave at the end of the period with a positive experience. Here at NEDCON we work with in-house coaching through the Innovation Hub that provides guidance for the students throughout the entire internship period.
Innovation Hub Manager Sandra Junier tells: “at NEDCON we work with in-house coaching. We help with formulating the assignments and continue to help until the very last presentation. Next to that we make sure all necessary information is available to prevent any issues along the way. The school requirements are known to us and we check for every deliverable whether they are met. Moreover, we hold progress meetings during which we discuss how the assignments are going, if the daily tasks are clear, and if they have found their place in the organization. It is no surprise to me that we often hear students experience the Innovation Hub as an excellent addition to their internship.”
A valuable experience for both parties
Most will agree that an internship is a great experience for every student, but it also has a lot of value for NEDCON. Sandra: “students come into this company with a fresh perspective and ideas that a long-term employee would not be able to provide. Because the school requires the use of certain models that will have to be used no matter what, more structure is brought to the process in which the student is involved. Many of the current employees once started out as an intern and the 20 week period is a great opportunity to see if the intern is the right fit for future employment.”
Learning objectives
The new interns all have their personal goals for the upcoming months. “The internship will help me explore and test my technical knowledge and skills in the field of Design Engineering”, says Mechanical Engineering Trainee Akhilkumar Kollur. Laura, trainee in the Marketing & Communication department tells: “I would like to go more in depth. My study covers a wide range of topics and during the next few months I want to learn more about the specifics of marketing and communication.”
Even though one may want to learn how to plan and the other is hoping to get a better understanding of the communication within a company, one thing they all have in common is that they want to step out of their classrooms and lecture halls and put their knowledge to the test in the “real” world.
