Internship introduction

1. Internship introduction Goals, skills and useful info

2. Let’s start with a game • You must explain to a VIP why you’re doing an internship in less than a minute. • You can’t say that: • You want to confront theory and practice • You’re bored with the teaching classes • Your internship subject is terrific • It goes along with your master’s thesis

3. Actors have different goals for the internship • ULB goals • Understand expectations • Produce deliverables • Successful integration • Analysis of own learning experience • Transfer capabilities • Company goals • Technical achievements • Boost a team • Bring fresh perspective • … Today’s focus  • Personal goals • Voyager • Découvrir un secteur • Work in a team Try to maximize

4. Example : travel • I do myinternshipbecause I want to travel: • ULB doesn’t care • Companydoesn’t care either VS • I want to travel to if I canintegrate in a multiculturalenvironment in the future • Can show successfulintegration to ULB • Can bringfresh perspective to the company as a foreigner

5. A few words on company and personal goals Company goals • Sometimes not easy to identify clearly • Will vary over time • Must be monitored Personal goals • Not easy to identify clearly either (5 whys ?) • By definition are personal (if not, go back to the 5 whys) • Can also vary over time  Go back to these often as well (it starts now !wdydwyd)

6. Why does ULB propose an internship ? • With an internship, youshouldultimately • Grow and mature yourpersonal and professionalproject • Developprofessionalskills, especially the onesdifficult to foster in an academicenvironment • Have the opportunity to evaluateyourskills and compare them to industry’sneeds • How ? Day to day work Observation Facts analysis Self criticism and perspectives Transferableskillsdevelopment

7. To measure your skills developement, we have to define them • Many skills are needed to make a good engineer • ULB has defined its own wishlist of skills you should have developped and has grouped them in the following aspects • Use of scientific knowledge • Project management • Communication • Multidisciplinary problem solving • Being a responsible professional

8. Use of scientificknowledge Skills Examples Read and understand a software manual Acquireknowledge not seen at university Look out for new types of sensorssimilar to the one you’reusing … • Show some expertise in science

9. Project management Skills Examples Evaluate lead times for specific components to order Be able to listnecessaryequipment for the project Respect deadlines and inform management Analyze and understandyourboss’ concerns Writemeaningful meeting minutes … • Plan and conduct engineering projects • Lead a team • Work in a team

10. Communication Skills Examples Report useful and understandable info to youradvisor Talk adequately to a technician Make a presentation for non-technical people … • Communicatescientific and technical information • Communicateproperlywitheach type of counterpart

11. Multidisciplinaryproblemsolving Skills Examples Step back fromyourproblem Forget constrains of yourproblem Put yourself in the user’sshoes … • Formulate and analyzecomplexproblems • Use scientificapproach • Innovate • Apply solutions

12. Being a responsibleprofessional Skills Examples Use youradvisoradequately Auto-evaluatefrequently Show criticism to existing or pre-existing solutions Be aware of applicable regulations and standards … • Show self criticism • Be autonomous • Be responsible, according to company’sconcerns

13. Poll Which of the five is the most important for the company when hiring Which of the five is the less important for the company when hiring Which one did you develop the most far ? Which one did you develop the least so far ? Which one do you expect to develop the most during the internship ?

14. What should you do ? Touch base with your supervisor : either on a weekly basis or on another base to discuss 1 2 Read the internship guide 3 Organize a mid-term visit 4 Keep your portfolio up to date

15. Mid-term visit • Between 30 and 60 minutes • Good to establish a first perspective on your internship • It’s possible to make a technical short presentation, a demo or even a company tour (check with your supervisor) • Fill in the evaluation forms a first time • Up to you to organize it

16. How will you be practically evaluated ? Portfolio evaluation SUPERVISOR 1 2 Summary text  JURY 3 Interview  JURY BAPP does not evaluate !!

17. Cedric’s roles in the internship • Advise you • Be present, if possible, during the mid-term visits • Read and comment portfolios Don’t hesitate to contact Be proactive

18. Summary text • 3 pages maximum • Spelling / syntax • Don’t forget to put your internship in perspective : the jury won’t read your portfolio • Give a copy to the jury and the BAPP

19. Interview • 10 minutes free speech + 10 minutes Q&A • No powerpoint • With the jury, supervisor, internship master and a BAPP observer • You should prepare your interview structure • Try to promote what you did • … without silencing the problems you faced, and more importantly what you did to solve them

20. What is the portfolio ? • un assemblage finalisé des traces d’apprentissage  Allal & Wegmulluer, 1998 • une collection organisée et cumulative de travaux et de réflexions d’un étudiant, qui rassemble des informations sur les compétences qu’il a développées au cours d’une période plus ou moins longue d’apprentissage Naccache, Samson & Jouquan, 2006

21. Portfolio shouldn’t be : • Anecdotical narration • A collection of completedforms • A private journal • A collection of master pieces • An administrative burden • A technical report

22. What should we find in it ? • Presentation • Planning • Traces of work • Weekly reports • Evaluations

23. Tips and tricks for the portfolio • Start ASAP • No preference for the medium • Try to find its advantages • The bigger it is, not the better • Ask feedback on it • Avoid story telling • Evaluations and self evaluations