01/06/2015
My Internship at Voith
Progress Report by Mario Schiocchet, Intern at Voith
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What do you study?
I am about to finalize my Bachelor degree, which will end this summer with my dissertation.
I read Integrative Social Sciences" at TU Kaiserslautern, focusing on sociology and HR.
What kind of internship are you in and in which company?
I am currently completing an internship in personnel development in the department Learning & Development at Voith GmbH.
How did you come across your internship?
I became aware of the internship via the seminar "Work & Organization Psychology" at my university, because the seminar was run by a Voith employee. Afterwards I asked him about practical training and then sent my application via the company website. A week later I was invited to an interview, and Voith confirmed that I had been selected for an internship.
I completed three months as part of an obligatory practical traineeship, and then went on for another three months on a voluntary basis.
Tell us about your responsibilities
What I really like about my internship is the fact that I am given so many diverse and responsible tasks. They range from the concept of an assessment center, the preparation of senior management training programs, drafts for trainer guidelines and the evaluation of questionnaires to setting up a database for internal documents. In addition I had a first insight in recruitment practices and actively participated in the application process by creating a shortlist of candidates and attending interviews.
How closely are your current activities related to what you have learned during your studies?
A great deal of what I learned at university also came up during my internship.
Especially in specific areas I noticed that many of the theories and models I studied reappeared in a practical format. It was great to finally see the concrete application of the often somewhat dry lecture material.
At the same time I learned a lot of new things and was able to expand my knowledge and my capabilities.
Do you get paid for your internship?
Yes.
Does your internship come up to your expectations?
Yes, and my expectations were even exceeded. Prior to starting I already hoped to be able to work independently, and I was really pleased when I was given even larger projects of my own. I had a fabulous mentor who always supported and promoted me and thus enabled me to move on. I never expected that interns would receive so much support and assistance and I am therefore grateful for the brilliant experiences I gathered here.
Have you completed other internships?
No, this was my first internship within the framework of my studies. But I am already planning another internship, because I have realized how much you can learn during these practical assignments and how much you develop further.
Many thanks for the interview!
