Hosting a student intern was a win-win situation!

Alumnus Dr Mark Davies (BEng 1994, PhD 1999) is UK Power T&D Director at RINA, a global company that provides testing, inspection, certification, and engineering solutions. In 2024, he and his company hosted a Cardiff University student on a seven-week summer internship, helping them to gain experience, skills, and prepare them for the world of work.

Harvy Davies (Electrical and Electronic Engineering 2024-), found the placement beneficial as it allowed him to gain practical experience alongside his studies, and improve his CV.

“During my work experience I was given a project to work on and seeing it successfully used by RINA engineers on-site was a real highlight.

The job market is super competitive nowadays and this internship put me in a really good position. Having that real-world experience is invaluable on my CV and has really boosted my confidence.”

Mark, who himself studied Electrical & Electronic Engineering at Cardiff University, said: “The highlight of hosting a student on a work experience placement was having a capable and enthusiastic individual who could focus 100% on a project. This has meant the work could be advanced far more quickly than it would have otherwise.

The internship was a fantastic way for RINA to progress an innovation project that may have otherwise fallen by the wayside due to time pressures. It has also given Harvy valuable experience and development to compliment his academic studies, that will hopefully improve his employability. Truly a win-win situation!”

Whilst the placement ended after seven weeks, Mark and his company were so pleased with Harvy’s work they have employed him on a part-time basis, around his studies, to continue work on the project.

Mark is just one of a number of alumni who have helped support current Cardiff students to gain work experience through internships. The University’s Student Futures Work Experience team are looking for alumni who would be interested in hosting a student or graduate internship this summer. Find out more about the support they can offer.

You can also connect with the Work Experience team on LinkedIn for regular updates on all of their schemes and opportunities.