Students on Placement

Case Study of an IAESTE trainee on placement in Canada   

Kristina Maria Kareh is a 3rd Year student at Imperial College London where she studies Materials and Engineering. She spent the summer working in Kingston, Canada for Novelis a world leader in Aluminium rolling.

Upon arrival, it was a shock to see Kingston was a small town rather than a city. I learned later “downtown” was a bustling area with many things to do and plenty shopping, but it is at the antipodes of European metropolises.

Not only is it not specifically aimed at pedestrians (everyone has a car and it is almost unheard of to simply walk to work when work is 30 minutes away) but it is small and invaded by squirrels, pigeons and seagulls – since it is on the border of Lake Ontario.

In addition, the weather averaged 27°C during my stay (late June to end of August.) When I packed sweaters thinking it would be cold like English summers, I was badly mistaken!

However, Kingston has many activities, and the students I met at Novelis insisted we go to the old movies freely aired on Market Square at dusk, or to go watch new film releases at the local cinema downtown. We organized themed parties and had many dinners and gatherings.

While I was anxious at the idea of meeting new people and trying to forge new ties in a very short time, the experience has been very rewarding. It truly helps to mingle with one’s peers, especially if they’re pleasant and welcoming. As a whole, Novelis was a wonderful place to work: laid-back and warm, my co-workers were very helpful and kind.

The Placement

The work in itself was intimately tied with my degree: the lab experience I gained was invaluable (since universities rarely allow hands-on experience with undergraduate students) and it cannot compare to the labs we do at university.

I learned to mount and examine samples under different types of microscopes (unsupervised), used an SEM (supervised), saw hot rolling in action and cold-rolled myself. I also used many contraptions to cut and bend aluminium, as well as interpreting gathered data and putting together a presentation.

I realized paying attention is essential: once shown how to do something, your co-workers have faith in you and leave you to do it by yourself, so it is very important to know when to ask for help. You really don’t want to break something that probably costs more than a year’s salary, and asking is never frowned upon!

Conclusion

I would definitely recommend this scheme to anyone who is open to new experiences: the accents alone are worth it. While I am not sure this is a career I would choose, it has been a great way to learn how to interact with potential co-workers and what others expect of you. And of course you meet awesome people you will keep in touch with.