On the back of Jack’s successful placement in our firm, we welcomed Akshay Jadhav into Solution for Construction – as our second University intern.
The journey of a student to a working professional isn’t always as seamless as we’d like it to be. Not only are young adults expected to perform in a career they’ve only known in textbooks, but their emotional and psychological shift can also be equally as challenging. This placement serves an important role as the bridge between the two: student and professional life.
During Akshay’s first semester of his Master’s program at the University of Adelaide, he heard about our local engineering firm. Having an understanding of structural engineering software and AutoCAD from his undergrad studies in India, Akshay connected with Naveesh to express his interest in becoming a draftsman in his Australian firm.
Akshay’s main role was to generate technical drawings based on calculations provided by building designers and structural engineers. Because Akshay wasn’t familiar with local council regulations, it took him a little longer than usual to prepare the concepts – but his pace grew as he went on. He worked on various home extension projects in South Australia and Victoria, which helped his development in this area.
Akshay’s responsibilities grew, as he joined the building designers, visiting sites for survey and inspection. He worked with senior staff, creating the technical drawings, post-visit. Over time, Akshay started to contribute valuable ideas and took advantage of any opportunity to polish his skills.
This internship was extremely important for Akshay’s exposure to the Australian industry. For example, becoming familiar with the steel standard AS4100.
“Naveesh taught me to use fundamental structural design software such as ‘Hyne Timber Design’ and ‘Slab on Ground (SLOG) to design timber structures as per AS1720 and footing designs in line with AS2870,” Akshay shared.
During his time, Akshay had the opportunity to work on a new home extension project in Mildura, Victoria, learning factors including managing project deadlines, client demands, and geographical adversity.
The close-knit culture that Solution for Construction embodies inconducive for traineeships and student placements. This gave Akshay the freedom to ask for help whenever he needed it and the entrepreneurial license to give his input when possible.
“I developed a wide range of skills from prioritizing workload and organizing my day, to presenting ideas and solving problems through smart design,” he said.
“Being an international student, having this real-life exposure to the industry was pivotal to my professional development. This experience has proved to be one of the turning points in my life’s journey as one of Australia’s upcoming engineers.”#
