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DUT Students Secure International Internships In Thailand

DUT Students Secure International Internships In Thailand

Three hard-working DUT Electronic Engineering students are on their way to Thailand this year (2015) to gain work experience at Western Digital, an international company at the forefront of manufacturing computer hard drives.
Third-year students Jabulani Zulu, Nzuzo Mngomezulu and Cebolenkosi Myeza have secured internships at the electronics company as part of their work-integrated learning (WIL). They are absolutely thrilled to be given the opportunity of being part of a world-renowned company.

Shakeel Ori, Director of DUT’s Co-Operative Education unit, said the partnership between DUT and Western Digital was formed in agreement with Thailand authorities. Last year (2014) three other DUT students – Nkosikhona Weiseman Mkhize, Travis Duck and Christian Hangi- were also chosen to serve their internship at the company.

“The students are extremely excited to go overseas. Going on such an internship, these students will be given training in a field that doesn’t exist in South Africa. This will also give the students an opportunity to work with individuals from different backgrounds, learn good working habits, gain business etiquette and most of all gain practical experience and improve their job prospects,” he said.

The students will be hosted by a Thai university which will ensure that they are taken care of and will handle any issues they may need assistance in. Advising the students on what to expect in Thailand at a briefing session held at the Co-operative Education unit last week was Duck, who had just returned from a year long internship at Western Digital.

“The experience was very good, culture unique, a completely different world. The working environment was excellent and quite a chilled atmosphere to work in. You also get your own mentor at Western Digital which was very helpful. It is a world class company and I have been offered a job in Thailand but I don’t know if I will accept the job offer as I plan to study further at DUT this year, 2015,” he said.

Duck also said the students must try everything to gain new life experiences and not sit back. “The Thai currency is quite cheap. The language barrier is not so bad; there are a lot of people who do speak English. Also, get used to eating rice for breakfast, lunch and supper,” he chuckled.

All three students still cannot believe they will be leaving for Thailand as soon as their passports arrive. They are extremely thankful to Ori and his team for making the internship possible.
“I am looking forward to the opportunity to working in such a great country as we know Thailand is better in technology compared to our country so it’s going to be a great experience for me to work and learn about the Thai culture,” said Mngomezulu.

Zulu said this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “I am expecting to achieve great things after this training. It will help me to grow in my field, so the experience I will get will help me get a great permanent job,” he said.
“I’m hoping to gain hands on experience, to learn valuable skills and knowledge and a sense of independence that will encourage me to pursue the career I hope for,” said Myeza.

– Waheeda Peters

Pictured: All geared up for their Thailand experience are third-year DUT Electronic Engineering students Jabulani Zulu, Nzuzo Mngomezulu and Cebolenkosi Myeza.

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