Interview with Fenna during the hydrogreenn networking event.

Interview

During a Hydrogreenn meeting in November 2022, we met Fenna at Douna Machinery in Leeuwarden. Fenna is doing an internship here as part of her mechanical engineering education and is working on the design of an Electrolyzer in the context of hydrogen.

Because Fenna naturally stands out in a world where many men are employed, we decided to ask her how she ended up at Douna.

An Internship at Douna

Fenna says that she heard about Douna through her part-time job at a bakery. After taking a look at the website, she decided to get in touch and asked if she could come and have a look.

The visit to the machine factory convinced her that this was the place where she wanted to do her internship for half a year.

Together with two employees from Douna, Fenna is working on an Electrolyzer. She ensures that the various components are designed and then brings them together into a whole. This assignment is part of a voucher program by the Groene Waterstof Booster and a collaboration with EnTranCe - Centre of Expertise Energy.

Introduction to Hydrogen

When I ask her how it feels to work with something as current as hydrogen, she says she finds it very exciting. It's great to see how much this topic is alive in the company where she ended up. In her mechanical engineering education, she briefly learned about hydrogen. The specialization for that comes later, as an elective course in the third or fourth year. Until now, it has been discussed only at a high level in her studies. What is hydrogen, and what can you do with it? But applying it in practice is a whole different story. This gives Fenna a head start in the world of hydrogen compared to her fellow students.

Of course, we are also curious about what it's like to do an internship in a company where mainly men work. Fenna laughs and says she expected that question.

Actually, she doesn't pay much attention to it. She feels completely at home at Douna, and besides, she's used to it. In her mechanical engineering education, she is also the only woman in the group.

Enjoying the Work

Fenna has now completed her internship at Douna. Looking back on it, she experienced it as a great internship place. She always went to work with enthusiasm, and she fit well into the team. Hendrik Wijnja, the technical director at the machine factory, confirms this. He mentions that her internship was actually just a bit too short to see the final result, partly due to Douna's pursuit of perfectionism. This sometimes extends certain parts of the project beyond the initially planned time. In a new field of work, it's difficult to estimate how much time a development requires. Fortunately, Fenna can witness the end result. Douna has offered her a part-time job so she can continue working on further development. This way, she can finish what she started.

A Helpful Tip

When I ask if she has any tips, from student to student, for finding a good internship, her main recommendation is to start looking around in time. If you know what you want and start early, you'll have choices. This also gives you time to choose something else if your first choice turns out to be different than expected. Additionally, it's essential to learn something valuable at the company and gain experience that will be useful later on. Fenna definitely had that experience at Douna. She encountered all aspects of the company during her internship, not only in the office but also by observing the workshop. Fenna also had the opportunity to visit other companies. What helped her was thoroughly reviewing the assignment beforehand, so she knew what opportunities were available to her.

What's Next...

Now that she has completed her third-year internship, she still has some time in the lecture halls. After that, she will start her final-year internship. When I ask about the prospects of finding a job after obtaining her diploma, she says that there are plenty of job opportunities in the technical sector. Furthermore, Douna has noticed a trend where many HBO graduates also take on tasks on the shop floor. Simply because there is a shortage of personnel. For example, 3D metal printing can be done by an HBO graduate without prior knowledge. Hendrik argues that the lack of prior knowledge actually brings added value in creative thinking.

Machine Engineering or Medical Technology

When I ask Fenna which sector she would like to work in after graduating, she is clear. It will be either machine engineering or medical technology!

Since she gained experience in machine engineering during her internship, she will focus on medical technology for her final-year internship next school year.

At Douna, they already see the potential for an excellent combination. After all, one doesn't have to exclude the other!