Up-and-coming engineering students and graduates will be given a head start in the industry thanks to Milmeq’s graduate, scholarship and internship programmes.
Engineering students from Massey, Canterbury and Auckland Universities are offered the chance to intern at Milmeq during their summer break, with opportunities to go on to the graduate programme.
Auckland University Mechanical Engineering student and 2015/16 intern Ryan Ennor says working in the Auckland office to complete his professional hours was a valuable experience. “Many of the engineers at Milmeq have been here a long time and have a lot of knowledge to share. Working closely with them has really helped me to broaden my understanding and knowledge base.”
During their time at Milmeq the interns assist the company in innovation projects, aimed at providing enhancements to existing technologies and development of new technologies. This enables them to complete the 400 hours each of practical and professional engineering experience required as part of their degree.
In addition to the internship, Milmeq also offers a scholarship, to the value of $3000, for an engineering student at Auckland University to go towards their final year of study.
This year’s recipient was Evan Simmers who also worked in the Milmeq Auckland office during his summer break. “My 10 weeks at Milmeq helped me develop my innovative thinking and problem solving skills. I think more than anything, the open and collaborative culture at Milmeq is what I enjoyed the most," Mr Simmers says.
Newly-qualified engineers are also given a leg up at Milmeq through their graduate programme. Milmeq employs newly qualified engineers every year in graduate positions. Graduates are often sourced from those who have successfully completed internships, although applications are also opened up to those outside the programme.
New graduate Thomas Craig joined Milmeq’s Dunedin-based team in November last year after interning at the company the previous summer. “In my role I’ve had the opportunity to work on a wide variety of projects and put a lot of the theory I learnt in my degree into practical application,” Thomas says. “It’s fantastic getting to work alongside highly experienced engineers – I find myself learning something new every day.”
Milmeq CEO Mike Lightfoot says fostering new engineering talent is a major focus for the company. “Our internship, scholarship and graduate programmes are an integral component of our business,” Mr Lightfoot says. “These students and graduates are the future of the industry so we are focussed on creating a pathway to bring new talent into our business. This is an essential ingredient for long term growth and sustainability - having mix of experience and youth in our engineering team encourages us to constantly challenge the way things are done, and this in turn drives innovation.”
A Milmeq news release