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International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience
Trainee of the Year Awards 2005
The 58 years of the IAESTE programme
Institute of Technology walked away with
have seen many thousands of students
the top prize, after her presentation on her
travel to gain work and cultural experience
time with Bernard Ingenieure in Austria.
abroad. The fact that IAESTE has gone from
Orla’s genuine enthusiasm and appreciation
strength to strength and grown in size from
of the IAESTE Programme shone through
its original 10 countries to more than 80 is
during her presentation.
IAESTE ANNUAL REVIEW 2006
evidence of the relevance and success of
the programme. However, the adventures,
the cultural insights, the friends made and
the great times experienced by the IAESTE
trainees are often untold. The IAESTE
Trainee of the Year Award is an event which
gives trainees an opportunity to tell the story
of their experiences whilst also showcasing
the programme’s benefits to employers,
sponsors, parents, participating bodies and
other students. In recent years the Trainee
of the Year award has been successfully held
in the Republic of Ireland, Switzerland and
the UK amongst others. While each country
brings its own particular twist to the event
the basic format remains similar. Recent
trainees give a short presentation, replete
with photos and anecdotes, on their host
country, their traineeship and their overall
experience. The enthusiasm and regard
of students for IAESTE is evident in each
different presentation and is an invaluable
source of motivation for employers, students
and also IAESTE itself.
On 22 November 2005, the fourth IAESTE
Ireland Trainee of the Year event was held
in University College Dublin. Nine students
gave presentations on their experiences of
China, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, the
USA, the UK and Germany. Orla McKeever,
a Civil Engineering student from Dundalk
The University of Applied Science Winterthur
was the venue for IAESTE Switzerland’s
Trainee of the Year event on 23 November
2005. From the 10 participating trainees,
Stefan Trenkle emerged triumphant after
his presentation on his IAESTE experiences
in Iran. Over 60 people attended the event
which also had presentations from students
who had been in the UK and Egypt amongst
other countries.
IAESTE in Northern Ireland also showcased
their students’ experiences with a Trainee
of the Year event. Held in Queen’s
University on 31 October 2005, the winning
presentation was given by Kevin Quinn on his
traineeship in Norway. As an added bonus,
Kevin also qualifi ed to take part in the overall
UK Trainee of the Year event and went on
to take third place in that event.
The winner of the eighth UK Trainee of the
Year event, which was held at the British
Council in London, was Ingrid Orme, an
architecture student from Edinburgh College
of Art. Ingrid did her IAESTE traineeship
in an architecture firm in Brazil. Ingrid’s
traineeship has inspired her to follow a
career in architecture and humanitarian
relief and plans, this year, to do an internship
in the UN’s Human Settlement division.
These trainees’ presentations, short though
they are, bring the IAESTE Programme to
life. Enthusiasm, motivation, confidence
and inspiration are all evident benefi ts that
both students and employers can gain from
participation in the programme and which
are visible at each Trainee of the Year
Award.
While the award events rely on the
participation of the trainees, also essential to
the proceedings are the judges, sponsors and
hosts, who are too numerous to mention in
this short space. Without their gracious and
invaluable assistance, the Trainee of the Year
events would not be the success that they
have become.
Neil Maher
National Secretary
IAESTE Ireland
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