DeKUT GRADUATE ENGINEERS INTERNS PROGRAM IN COLLABORATION WITH THE ENGINEERS BOARD OF KENYA.
INTRODUCTION
Dedan Kimathi University of Technology (DeKUT) in her endeavors to equip her students with relevant industrial skills for job market established the Siemens Training Centre (DeSTC) which is the first of a kind in Africa.
DeSTC strives to create a bridge between academia and the industry. On one hand, many Africa industries are using some modern technologies which are not taught in classroom. On the other hand, innovations and research findings remain in the Universities’ premises. DeSTC comes in to create a direct link between Universities and Industries by providing training in new emerging technologies in collaboration with Siemens AG (Germany).
The Centre has since been accredited by Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) to offer the following courses as Continuous Professional Development (CPD) for Graduate, Professional and Consulting Engineers:
Moreover, with the current need to develop a larger pool of skilled and professional workforce in the field of Engineering, DeSTC has established a collaboration with the EBK to offer Graduate Engineers Internship Programme (GEIP) for 24 Months. The GEIP is designed to enable the interns to acquire requisite hands-on skills and prepare them for professional practice in their respective engineering fields.
This programme is aimed at developing manpower with capacity, knowledge, desire and ability to address critical technical issues associated with energy, manufacturing, agriculture, health and the environment for enhanced national development.
OBJECTIVES
BACKGROUND
The Engineers Board of Kenya (EBK) has developed the Graduate Engineers Internship Program (GEIP) which is a structured internship program for graduate engineers that is designed to enable them acquire requisite hands-on skills and prepare them for professional practice. https://ebk.or.ke/geip-internship-opportunities/
The program will run for 24 months and the interns will be trained under professional engineers who are registered by the Board. To ensure the success of the program, the Board needs Mentors from the fraternity whose role in the implementation of the GEIP is critical. The importance of the mentors is derived from the fact that they are the ones who will work with the trainees, giving the trainees the necessary guidance and assistance in their professional development.
DeSTC MENTORSHIP FACILITIES
DeKUT Siemens Training Centre (DeSTC) has the capacity and resources to serve as a mentor of GEIP. We pride ourselves as the home to state-of-the-art training facilities which include but not limited to: 7 station valve assembly line, Siemens 1200 PLC training kits, Electropneumatic & Electrohydraulic system, Motor Control system, Mechanical drives system, Power and Control electronics, Process Control systems, CNC machines, Milling machines, Lathe Machines, High Voltage training kits and Transmission Line Training systems.
Fig.1: Mechatronics Mentorship Lab
Fig.2: Mechatronics training systems
Fig.3: Control systems and 3D printer
Fig.4: Electrical and Electronics Training Facilities
Fig. 5: Mechanical Mentorship Workshop
RECRUITMENT
Target group
This internship programme targets the already registered graduate engineers or those with interest in the registration as well as in developing skills in their area of study. The Centre promotes gender equality and cultural diversity, therefore, all applicants including those living with disabilities will be treated equally.
Qualifications
A Candidate who has graduated with a 5 year Bachelor of Science/Engineering degree in Mechanical, Electrical & Electronics, Control, and Mechatronic Engineering is qualified to apply for the internship program. Prior to the commencement of the internship program, one must register with EBK as a graduate engineer.
Duration of the Internship
The internship program will run for a duration of 24 months.
Fig.6: Mechanical Training Facilities
BENEFITS OF THE INTERNSHIP PROGRAM
ADVISORY AND MENTORSHIP
All Graduate Engineers Interns will work under the advisory and mentorship of a registered professional Engineer during the training period. The advisor will meet interns on a regular basis to check on the progress and to address matters of concern by guiding the interns on the objective of every given task as well as assessing the performance. The mentor will contribute on the motivational aspect by discussing the intern’s personal and professional development goals.