IAESTE Review Cover 01

Alistair on top of Table
Mountain, Cape Town
IAESTE South Africa
IAESTE South Africa moved at the
end of 2003 to its new home: The
University of Pretoria. The transfer
process brought about some
interesting and challenging prospects,
and at last we are starting to settle in.
All of us were new to the IAESTE
world and had to learn all about this
interesting Association in very little
Photo taken in sunny South Africa early in
March 2004 at the University of Pretoria.
Front from left: Kathrin Kohler (student from
Switzerland), Sytze Harkema (student from
Netherlands)
Back from left: Jari Roivainen (student from
Finland), Saurabh Sinha (Electrical, Electronic
and Computer Engineering Department Representative),
Iakovos Kallergis (student from Greece), Jacqueline Morkel
(IAESTE SA National Secretary), Nicola van der Merwe
(IAESTE Faculty Student Representative)
On arrival at Johannesburg airport, I was waved
straight though Immigration without so much
of a glance at my hard fought permit, and then
picked up my baggage and strode into the
arrivals hall to search for my name on one of
the placards that were dotted amongst the
crowd. With a sinking feeling developing in my
stomach, I soon realised that my welcoming
committee wasn’t in attendance, so after a
coffee and piece of cake to celebrate the fact
that the day was my 21st birthday, I began to
assess my position.
A quick re-read of the trainee’s guidance from
IAESTE suggested that although rare, my
situation was far from being a reason to book a
flight back! I took out my carefully prepared list
of emergency numbers and then searched for a
payphone. The sinking feeling that had just
begun to subside began to deepen once more
when I slowly realised the
numbers I had for IAESTE South
Africa and WSP were office
numbers so not likely to be of
much use on a Sunday. On
reflection I supposed that this
could mean that I might not be
expected to work weekends! It was
then that I found out that Doug
Kennaugh, my contact at WSP,
had included his mobile number
as part of his digital signature on
one e-mail. I made the call and
after a brief but welcoming conversation with
Doug, I knew my placement was turning a
corner and I once more began to really look
forward to the next 8 weeks.
time. I’d say we are only now starting to
become familiar with all the ways and
procedures. Personally I view this transfer as
one of the best things that could happen to
IAESTE SA as the University of Pretoria will be
able to provide stability and continuity, two
properties that IAESTE SA have not experienced
for a very long time. Furthermore the
international interest in South Africa is on the
rise and tertiary institutions in South Africa are
aiming for international recognition. This
relationship can drastically open opportunities
for IAESTE SA. After these few months we are
doing well and are very optimistic to see what
the future of IAESTE SA will bring in terms of
increased exchanges, involvement of local
students and employers.
Jacqueline Morkel
IAESTE SA National Secretary
A Placement in South Africa
Alistair McKendrick : WSP Consulting Engineers, Johannesburg, RSA
The first week was with WSP was with IT
(Information Technology) services and I spent
the time work shadowing one of the
consultants on site visits all over Johannesburg.
One aspect I was very pleased about was that
she (unprompted) always took the time to
explain every part of the job, and this actually
became a feature of all my contact with my
colleagues at WSP.
The next 3 weeks were with the Mechanical
Services Department, where the work was
obviously much more closely related to my
degree subjects. The specific area I spent time
in was Air Conditioning and after a few more
site-visits I was offered the chance to complete
a significant part of a contract that the
company had won. The project was to design
the air-conditioning system for a planned
domestic terminal at a major African airport.
Although daunting, it was the perfect
opportunity to complete a major piece of work
for the company.
The last two weeks were spent in the Electrical
and Industrial Services Departments, and
although the work was different, it was just as
interesting. The chance to accompany a project
team to a platinum mine a few hours north of
Johannesburg, was an incredible opportunity to
see how industry can survive and prosper in
the most remote surroundings.
As I had a company car throughout the
placement, I was keen to take advantage of the
opportunity to travel around and see the area.
My first contact with IAESTE South Africa came
in week one, and I was given the opportunity
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