THIRTY-ONE year old Quintin Son may not fit the profile of your average intern. One of 41 interns chosen for the St. Lucia Electricity Services Limited (LUCELEC) Summer Employment Programme, Son is working in the LUCELEC Generation Department.
Having just completed a mechanical engineering course at the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, Son is older than his fellow interns, many of whom are on vacation from secondary schools, the Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, and university. They are also more likely to be in their late teens or early twenties. But Son is not daunted. He says the opportunity to work in his chosen field at LUCELEC is one he intends to take full advantage of.
“I believe working here will give me an edge because everyone shares knowledge and it is a continuous learning process. And while school taught me mechanical engineering theory, this internship is giving me practical experience I know will make me better in my chosen profession,” he says.
Twenty year old Marie-Claude Honore says the same. Having just completed a pre-engineering course at the UWI St Augustine campus in Trinidad, Honore wants to be an engineer. An intern in the LUCELEC Planning Department she says what she is learning will give her a professional edge. The internship is also teaching her how to function in the world of work.
“This is my first time getting formal work experience, getting insight into the corporate world where I am working with other people in an environment that is very different and I am learning a lot. It is an experience I will not take for granted, one I am very grateful for,” she says.
Beginning in the early 1980’s and throughout the years, the LUCELEC Summer Employment Programme has nurtured hundreds of Saint Lucian youth and is a tangible opportunity for students to get an appreciation for the demands of working in an environment that places a premium on efficiency.
The interns have been stationed in various departments across the company and all students will write monthly reports of their employment experience. For those on school internships, reports will be submitted to their respective schools.
This year, the LUCELEC Summer Employment Programme began on June 1 and will end on August 31, 2016.