You could call it a kind of speed dating, that took place in the atrium at Navitas on Wednesday morning. Fifteen-minute conversations between future civil and architectural engineering interns and companies that are expected to post internship positions.
PraktikMatch is a biannual event that provides interns with the opportunity to meet with companies that want to engage engineering students. That way they can apply for the specific internship position that is the best fit for them and their competences.

Interns Are in Demand
There will be plenty of internship opportunities to choose from. The 53 students enrolled in the civil and architectural Bachelor of Engineering programmes had the opportunity to engage in conversation with representatives from 55 companies, most of which are seeking interns from several of the seven specializations.

"We're fortunate to have more available internship positions than we have interns. This gives students an excellent chance to find the right position," says Mads Bech Olesen, the internship coordinator at the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering.

Each semester he receives job advertisements with internship positions from the different companies. The students can apply for the different positions, but only after the PraktikMatch event.
"PraktikMatch isn’t about attending job interviews. These conversations aim to ensure that there’s some sort of familiarity with the company before applying — that way we avoid that students apply for a position that isn’t what they expected," Mads Bech Olesen explains.

Internships Build Resilience in Highly Skilled Students
One of the companies present at the event was Sweco. Personnel manager Stinne Grøndal form the company hopes to hire one or more interns this semester from the infrastructure specialization.

"We have to make ourselves attractive and try to secure an intern. But it shouldn’t be at the expense of the interns. I don’t want to fight over a student that hasn’t had the chance to make up hers or his mind yet. So, when I talk to the students, I emphasize that not choosing our company doesn’t mean they’ve rejected us. They can always contact me later," she says.

Stinne Grøndal is also part of the Employer Panel at the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering. While there are only a few students in the infrastructure specialization, the firm has successfully integrated interns to be part of the company at the same level as newly graduated engineers.
"I think we can offer them resilience. The interns are incredibly skilled academically. But they need to experience what it’s like to work in a place with colleagues, project managers, managers, and clients — and how to navigate that. They’ll be involved in projects and realize that things don’t always go according to plan, or that they have several deadlines at once. How do you prioritize your tasks and how do you communicate it clearly if you can’t complete what is expected if you within the desired timeframe? I believe we have a huge responsibility to teach them that," she says.

Internships Are Priceless Opportunities
"The internship period is a priceless opportunity," says internship coordinator Mads Bech Olesen. "The students get to perform highly relevant engineering tasks. At least that’s the feedback I get from the interns and the companies.

Traditionally, many students get a job at the company of their internship, once they graduate. That’s why Mads encourages students to carefully consider their options and explore the opportunities that might be less obvious than others - both in terms of industry and, not least, distance:
"Finding something just within the city center is not necessarily the best option. Honestly, if you have to commute for 45 minutes each way, this is doable. It’s much more important to find the right place than to choose a place solely because you can get there on your bicycle," he says.

Fact Box: Seven Specializations
Students in the two Bachelor of Engineering programmes can specialize in one of seven different areas. Since the educational programmes are only offered in Danish, the programmes and specializations will be listed below with their Danish titles:

• Byggeledelse (Entreprenører)                                 
• Bærende konstruktioner                                          
• Energi og indeklima                                                   
• Geostatik                                                                     
• Infrastruktur                                                                   
• Miljøteknik (Urban Water)                                         
• Byggeri og Bæredygtighed                                     

Læs mere om uddannelserne:

Diplomingeniøruddannelsen i Bygning (au.dk)
Diplomingeniøruddannelsen i Bygningsdesign (au.dk)