Student Krijn is doing an internship on Sint Maarten
At the end of August, Krijn left for Sint Maarten to start his internship at Ballast Nedam International Projects. During this four-month internship, he will be working on the Black Rocks Harbor project, which involves building a new harbor on the island of Saba.
Krijn is in his third year of a higher professional education programme in Civil Engineering and wanted to do an internship abroad and at Ballast Nedam. He had the choice between Germany and Sint Maarten. He didn't have to think long about it. ‘Here on Sint Maarten, it's 29 degrees every day and I live within walking distance of the sea. It couldn't be better.'
'I already knew Ballast Nedam from the open days at our school. That's how I knew that there are many opportunities within the company and that everything is well organised. And since I wanted to do an internship abroad, I quickly ended up at Ballast Nedam International Projects. When they came up with this project on Saba, I was immediately enthusiastic. Also because I want to gain experience in hydraulic engineering.'
'Really well! I'm learning so much, both professionally and personally. I'm the only intern here and, at 19, the youngest, so I've joined the local football club. It's great fun, kicking a ball around with people my own age. I also regularly go out for a beer or a bite to eat with my colleagues. The weeks fly by, probably because we work quite long hours.'
More than in the Netherlands?
‘Yes, we also work on Saturday mornings here and do slightly longer days than in the Netherlands. But the work is so varied that time flies by. My internship supervisor Marco Scheffer gives me interesting, challenging assignments, which really makes me feel like I'm part of the team. For example, I helped design the boat lifts and draw up the schedules.’
‘There are about 15 of us on Sint Maarten and we're not working on Saba yet because it's a very small island with hardly any facilities. So far, we've mainly been busy preparing for the construction of our accommodation on Saba. Eventually, the team will live there during the construction of the harbour.’
Will you be going to Saba or staying on Sint Maarten?
‘No, I won't be there for the completion of the accommodation on Saba because my internship ends in December. That's a shame, but at the same time it's a good reason to come back again next year!’
Are you also interested in working at Ballast Nedam?
At Ballast Nedam, you can develop and become a little better every day. In the Netherlands and abroad. Together with almost 2,000 colleagues, we are committed to a future-proof living environment. Will you join our team to contribute to this?
