Terms for Engineering Training at Aarhus University (AU) (for the Company)

Extract from the Curriculum:

As a part of the Curriculum for the Bachelor of Engineering programme at Aarhus University, students are required to serve a one-semester engineering traineeship.

The purpose of the engineering training is that, in connection with execution of the training programme in a public or private company, the student should:

• give consideration to the relevant theory in relation to how engineering tasks are solved in practice,
• acquire good working habits and develop co-operative skills as well as a sense of entirety through direct commitment to engineering tasks and
• be motivated to adopt an engineering attitude to courses and projects in the subsequent part of the studies.

Application for position as trainee

Procedures for application may vary from one company to the other. As the general rule the applicant forwards the application personally.

ASE has an ambition of knowing each individual company’s application procedures. Procedures should be informed to the Training Coordinator. Procedures are then announced by the coordinator at AU, who maintains and announces number of available positions.

Location in the study programme

The engineering training is normally placed in the 5^th semester (out of 7).

When the training period begins, the trainee will have completed the compulsory part (i.e. the first 2 years of the studies). For further information on the technical content of the first 4 semesters, please consult https://studerende.au.dk/en/studies/subject-portals/mpe/study-programmes/bachelor-of-engineering/engineering-internship

Duration of  training period

The training period is 5 months:

• Autumn semester, from August 1^st to December 31 ^st
• Spring semester, from February 1^st to June 30^th

Content

To be able to fulfil the overall objectives of the traineeship the trainee is expected to take part in the company’s engineering tasks and routines (project planning, development, performance etc.) in an appropriate combination of unaided work and under guidance.

Approval of company as placement company

A company is approved as a placement company by the Training Coordinator. The approval is based on the following conditions:

1. The company’s profile must be relevant for the education  
2. The work tasks in which the trainee participates must have engineering relevance
3. The trainee is assigned an employee who is both an engineer and a trainee instructor, or – if this is not possible – an employee who in other ways is professionally competent within the engineering field
4. The company shall clarify which resources are allocated to guiding the trainee during the training period
5. Previous traineeships in the company must have proceeded satisfactorily, cf. the conditions described above.

After each training period, the placement officer evaluates the company’s status as a placement company, among other things on the basis of the report from the trainee supervisor after his/her visit.

Contact between Company and AU

The contact between the company and AU is initially handled by the Training Coordinator. During the training period the contact is handled by a Trainee Supervisor (a person whose profile matches that of the company). The company appoints an employee to be Training Instructor for the trainee. The Training Instructor is also the contact person to AU during the training period.

Choice of Company

The choice of company or type of company is coordinated by the Training Coordinator. To help with the choice, the trainee can read reports from previous trainees. When the trainee has chosen a company or type of company, he/she shall send an application including a curriculum vitae.

Upon receival of application(s) and the company will invite the applicant(s) for an interview.

If an agreement is reached, a contract will be drawn up and signed by both company and trainee. If desired, this contract can be supplemented with the company’s own standard contract of employment.

Conditions of employment

The trainee is employed according to the company’s standard terms. Especially the following should be emphasised:

• The trainee has no claims on holidays during the training period, but holiday allowance is earned according to standard rules.
• The company takes out a standard industrial injury insurance for the trainee.

Time off from work in examination periods etc.

The trainee has the right to have up to 3 days off to participate in examinations, study orientation etc. at ASE.

Salary

Salary is paid according to an agreement between the company and the trainee.

Reporting

During the training period, the trainee shall prepare 2 reports:

• A focus report containing:
  • A brief description of the company, the trainee’s own position in the company, and work tasks
  • Selected focus points, which the trainee during the training period shall reflect upon in relation to the theory from past and future studies
  • Training plan

The target group of the focus report is the trainee himself, the Trainee Supervisor and the daily manager. The report shall be submitted to AU approx. 3 weeks after the beginning of the training period.

• A training report containing:
  • A summary of the training content
  • An analysis based on theory of science
  • A final conclusion

The target group of the training report will be future trainees, the Trainee Supervisor, other teachers and the placement company. The report will be available on the CampusNet of AU for this purpose. The report is due the 3^rd Monday in the last month of the training period. The daily manager should discuss the content of the report with the trainee.

Visits from the Trainee Supervisor

During the training period, the Trainee Supervisor will visit the trainee and the daily manager. On that occasion, the work tasks (content and extent), the training plan and focus points of the trainee will, among other things, be discussed. Other discussion points will be the company’s evaluation of the trainee, and the basis for receiving future trainees. The possibility of continuing the training assignments and integrating them into the Final Project or lab projects at ase will also be discussed.

Evaluation

The evaluation consists of two parts:

1. If the trainee in compliance with rules and procedures has completed the traineeship satisfactorily, the company will sign the certificate of completed traineeship, possibly supplemented with a brief statement.
2. The last evaluation will take place at Aarhus University. The evaluation will be based on the signed certificate of completed training and the focus and training reports.

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Approved by the Director of Studies

Version 11, 5^th. November 2013