BW Offshore Summer Internship Programme wins award

The Global Summer Internship Programme with BW Offshore was Louis’ first placement for his MEng Fast-Track Degree in Electronic and Electrical Engineering at Robert Gordon University in Aberdeen, UK.

One of the tasks he was assigned was investigating Cybersecurity for the fleet and to explain this concept into a report to address how the FPSOs are vulnerable. He was also asked to look into use of a Subsea Power Cable for a planned project. In additions to individual tasks, the interns were given a technical common task and a “video challenge”, encouraging team collaboration and creativity.

"I developed not only as a professional engineer, but as a person too. All the social interactions and teamwork involved made me feel confident in my own abilities knowing I could contribute to the team. The internship involved real tasks and real work which I feel developed my skills from University even further," says Louis.

Following the internship, Louis received technical support from BW Offshore during his final year of studies, and he also had access to additional resources to conduct a project on the use of Subsea Power Cable to power an FPSO from shore for his University programme. Through this project, members from the BW Offshore organisation were available to provide support and guidance.

The internship involved real tasks and real work which I feel developed my skills from University even further.

"Throughout my internship, I met various heads of departments that gave the interns an insight into their part of the company and how they contribute to BW Offshore. This included a meeting with the company’s CEO, Marco Beenen. Having the opportunity to hear his vision of the company's future and how young talent plays an important part of that vision was really impressive," he says.
 

Why we focus on Young Talent

The BW Offshore Summer Internship Programme is aimed towards introducing students to the FPSO industry, and to get a real feel for what it means to be a part of the BW Offshore organisation. By focusing on real tasks and deliveries, the programme creates value for both the students and the company.

In March 2021, the programme was awarded the 'Student Placement Award', by the Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce during the Northern Star Business Awards for the third year in a row. A record number of companies were nominated by students following completion of their internships / placements.

“Being a three-time winner of the 'Student Placement Award' reflects our commitment to develop young talent. The COVID-19 outbreak has put incredible challenges on businesses of every size and across every sector, and for us it has been important to remain focused on developing young talent. We were able to conduct our Summer Internship Programme in 2020 despite the pandemic, however with some changes to structure due to travel restrictions. In general, we spend a lot of time to facilitate and develop the programme every year, so we are proud that students keep nominating us for the award.” says Johan Petter Haffner, Senior Manager Organisation Development.

The company’s primary goal with the Summer Internship Programme is to be able to hire the students back as Graduate Engineers upon completion of their degrees. Since the beginning of the Summer Internship Programme, we have met many highly motivated and talented students who have gone on to join the organisation on a permanent basis as Graduate Engineers.