ESIE Summer Internship

The ESIE Summer Internship program was first introduced among HR managers in ESIE HR Club early this year to bring in young students in Por Vor Chor (Vocational Certificate Level) and Por Vor Sor (Vocational Diploma Level) to the real work environment in various industries as part of the compulsory course of the vocational education module. With internship, the gap between educational world and real life practice has been narrowed down for the benefits of both parties.

This small step helps vocational students to be ready or prepared for their opening career gateways. This will also provide greater strength for industries, which require technical graduate operators working in their production lines. Hicom Automotive Plastics (Thailand) Ltd. and ELYO-H Facility Management Co., Ltd are the initial two openhanded companies participating in this year’s program.

Seven students traveled 564 kilometers from Nongharn Technical College in UdonThani Province to work in factories in the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate (Rayong) as intern students since March this year and will remain so until August 2007.

Team up at ELYO-H Facility Management Co., Ltd

Mr. Sawat Macmyraxa, General Manager of ELYO-H Facility Management talks about hosting six students in his company. During the first couple of weeks, these students need to adjust to their work environment. After they are assigned to their jobs, they learn the work pattern and schedule. So he sees that the period of five months is not too long for internship since the learning period normally takes more time.

Talking about expectations, Mr. Sawat keeps them realistic since he understands that these students are fresh from school with limited experiences. Thus, what he makes out from this program besides the extra helping hand is the reflection showing how well his staff is able to train and pass on knowledge and skills to the students.

When talking about the students -- Preecha Phoobuagnuen (18), Suksan Kanwibool (18), Anucha Yothee (17), Wittaya Sawangdee (18), Tawatchai Sangsai (17) and Supaporn Klahan (19) -- it is noticeable that they are happy and proud of their jobs

Supaporn, the oldest of the team studies in Por Vor Sor level, majoring in accounting. She is assigned to assist in the office. Her main responsibility is to support the accounting department. She also has the opportunity to help the sales and marketing team in building up prospects database.

The rest of her team who are majoring in electronics is divided as follows:

Preecha Phoobuagnuen and Suksan Kanwibool are assigned to work with the team at Saint-Gobain Sekurit. Their main responsibilities are to maintain and monitor the condition of the industrial air compressor.

Being under age for safety precaution, Wittaya Sawangdee and Tawatchai Sangsai are in the mobile unit team. Apart from their supporting roles, they also have a chance to complete a project called ”Efficient Use of Resource”.

Anucha Yothee is assigned to take charge of the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS). Therefore, he is learning to set up maintenance schedule, plan and maintain database and monitor customer maintenance tasks.

Solo at Hicom Automotive Plastics (Thailand) Ltd.

Mr. Nattawat Uraphranom, a third year Por Vor Chor student (Vocational Certificate Level) works as an internship at Hicom Automotive Plastics (Thailand) Ltd., Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate (Rayong). This is his first step out of the college fence where he experiences the real world of work. Nattawat’s major is in accounting, thus the company has made available a position in the purchasing department, where Nattawat is learning and adapting very well to be a part of the team.

Normally, the internship program for vocational students covers only one semester or about three months, usually in the first semester of their senior year. But Nattawat requested to have a five-month internship starting from his summer school break. Mr. Kittipong Chaingam, Procurement & HRA Manager of Hicom Automotive Plastics (Thailand) Ltd. says the longer the program, the more the interns have a chance to learn and gain more experience on the job.

Nattawat’s main responsibilities at Hicom Automotive Plastics (Thailand) Ltd. include placing orders to suppliers, processing document flow between related departments, submitting files, and sorting purchase documents. Nattawat works carefully and always makes sure that the assigned tasks are 100 percent complete.

Ms. Nisachon, who supervises Nattawat on the job, says that she didn’t expect much from the intern, as she is aware of the limitation of knowledge and experience of the intern. However, Nattawat shows much willingness to work, paying good attention to his assigned tasks. He is a fast learner. He has improved in many ways. He is able to work under pressure, is more mature, understands the workflow and has better communication skills. Mr. Kittipong adds that with extra training time and with the given daily allowance, Nattawat is very commendable in terms of work outcome.

Hemaraj Land And Development Plc. anticipates that this short-term internship program is one of the many approaches to diminish the workforce difficulties. The longer internship arrangement such as the Dual Vocational Education is also available.

For more information or participation in the program, please contact Khun Fasai Finch at fasaif@hemaraj.com or 02 719 9555.