The ever-evolving construction industry requires a consistent source of new talent who will drive the industry in the future. Arcadis believes that, as a company, we have an important role to play in the development of future skills for the construction industry. Therefore, we participate in programs designed to complement what students learn from school. Following our success and the award we received from Qatar University in 2018 for our participation in the summer internship program, Arcadis welcomed another batch of students from the university this year who embarked on an internship program under the tutelage of our experienced managers.
This year, we welcomed eight new interns from Qatar University’s Engineering and Architectural Department to undergo a six-week internship program that will form part of their final degree requirements. The interns, composed of third- and final-year students, were welcomed like any new Arcadian. They underwent a company induction where we outlined our values and behaviors, history, and approach to improving quality of life in our communities.
After the induction, the four architectural interns were split between our urban planning and design team and our PMG team working under Hamad Medical Corporation. The four civil engineering interns, on the other hand, were distributed to our bridges design team, mega reservoir, and local roads and drainage program. Each intern was assigned a line manager who shared knowledge and provided the guidance and support that the interns needed to complete the program. The line managers who participated in this year’s program are Bronwyn Rigney, Principal Planner; Joe Muller, Principal Planner; Ayman Ibrahim, Senior Engineer; Henry Chan, Technical Director; Ashraf El Sayed, Senior Resident Engineer; Dennis Rush, Senior Resident Engineer; Bojan Dinic, Principal Engineer; Harry Smith, Associate Director; Jasbir Bhamra, Design Manager; and Baddie AlTimimi, Construction Manager.
The interns had the opportunity to visit major projects and sites and learn more about their business line and the specialist skills required within their department. They also got involved in the design process and worked with cross discipline departments to learn how Arcadians collaborate and work as one team. At the end of the six-week program, the interns were invited to our head office to present to our leadership, line managers and human resources teams the things they learned, their roles and responsibilities as part of the team, what they want to learn more about in the future, and how they plan to contribute and improve the lives of people in their communities.
Feedback from the interns has been very positive, and we’re looking forward to hearing about their future success and welcoming our next batch of interns in 2020.
