‘During the third year of my mechanical engineering studies at HAN University of Applied Sciences in Arnhem, I completed a work placement at VIRO’s Arnhem branch. I chose VIRO because it is an engineering firm that offers a broad range of services and has huge wealth of knowledge and expertise in Product Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Industrial Projects. I became aware of VIRO during the HAN University of Applied Sciences job fair, where they showed a number of projects from their different fields of expertise. It got my interest, so I had a look at some other projects on their website, which led me to ask about a possible work placement.
During my work placement, I was tasked with designing a new ‘group bicycle’ for a client. The assignment was great, because I was able to experience the project from start to finish, meaning from concept to prototype. Receiving a client’s request and developing a solution is a regular occurrence at VIRO.
I joined colleagues in looking for potential solutions. The assignment was a lot of fun to work on, in part because my colleagues were very helpful and they really helped me explore all the possibilities. VIRO offered me all the available tools and support to complete the project. I was also allowed to do supporting work on a Ferris wheel that will be used at a funfair. Using what I learned at HAN University of Applied Sciences, I was more than capable of helping out. VIRO works on a wide variety of projects, which is very interesting. For example, all projects related to mechanical engineering are in their Mechanical Engineering department I really enjoyed myself and felt very motivated during my work placement at VIRO.
The supervision was excellent. I learned a lot during this period. VIRO supported me and ensured that all my learning goals were addressed during the work placement. In my experience, VIRO is a professional employer in terms of how it looks after its own staff and its work placement students.
This period was very educational; my construction calculations and drawing skills improved significantly. The clear project deadlines taught me to plan well and consult project commissioners, project leaders, and clients. I really enjoyed being part of the organisation, which is why I came back to work here as an employee.
I’m currently working for ASML, one of VIRO’s major clients. Together with other colleagues from VIRO and ASML, I’m working on the client’s latest machine. Our task at VIRO’s Arnhem branch is to look after the water and gas supply for an important part of the machine. It’s a job where every millimetre counts. One of the biggest challenges we face is the limited space we have to put our hardware, which makes the job great fun. Working for an innovative client like ASML means you learn an incredible amount as we get to work with technology that won’t be available on the market for years, which is a unique experience. It also makes things exciting and extremely informative.
VIRO also offers plenty of opportunities to follow courses, and last year I completed two: Geometrical Tolerancing and Tolerance Analysis. This has me helped with the work I do every day at VIRO, which involves setting up technical drawings and tolerance analyses so that the detailed concepts work. VIRO is a good, professional, and expert employer that I really enjoy working for.’