AU Chak-fu George || BEng (Hons) Industrial and Systems Engineering || Construcciones Mecanicas Vela S. L., Spain
Offered an internship in an original equipment manufacturer in Spain, Au Chak-fu George encountered language barriers in the workplace, but he found a way to overcome the obstacles. The Industrial and Systems Engineering student worked at Construcciones Mecanicas Vela (CMV), a small-sized company providing customers user-friendly manufacturing machines.
In the office, since all the computers operate in Spanish while people communicate mostly in Catalan and Spanish, George felt intimidated under the strange environment at the very beginning.
He realised without knowing any Spainish or Catalan, the weeks ahead in the company would be a big challenge. To achieve effective communication, he communicated with his colleagues through active listening, writing and body language. “Besides, Google translator was a great help to me. With a simple click, I could find the meaning of words,” George adds.
Despite having only five members, the company operates smoothly and successfully.
George experienced the beauty of a small office and quickly fitted in with the team. He worked closely with all team members and was assigned to several important tasks.
“Before the internship, I had no real-life working experience. Thus, it was challenging for me to accomplish all the given tasks on time before the deadlines. I understand time management would be very important and therefore had set a clear work schedule for myself,” George says.
Tackle problems step by step
One of the challenging tasks allocated to George was to use the software, Solidworks, to make drawings for a machine and work out the final assembly. Unfamiliar with the software, George came across codes he did not know which made the assignment hard to handle.
“I spent too much time on guessing and trying. It was impossible to carry on working without knowing the codes. I therefore found a small but useful library in the neighbourhood and searched for information about the codes. Having found out the meaning of the codes, I carried on with my work and had the drawings finished smoothly and on time,” George says.
The on-the-job training has strengthened his professional knowledge and equipped him with new skills. “All the challenges that I confronted during the internship have enriched my experience and trained me to be an independent problem-solver,” George says. There are different hurdles in life and career. George has demonstrated how take on the hurdles positively instead of evading them.
