Engineering students decry difficulties during internship training

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Students studying engineering are decrying the challenges they face while on internship training.

According to the students, some of the challenges include trainers asking for money, lack of appropriate equipment for training, inadequate technical staff to supervise the students at their places of internship among others.

Joshua Ssebaana Suubi, an electrical engineering student at Makerere University says that he was forced to shift from his electrical engineering path to software after he applied for internship placement in five places but only one responded at the time when the internship period had elapsed.

Ssebaana says there was no specialized supervisor in electrical engineering at work as he was trained by one accountant and a software engineer and not an electrical engineer.

Angel Nakalyoowa, a civil engineering student at Ndejje University says that many engineering firms have no internship training programs which do not allow them to mentor the trainees well. At times, Nakalyoowa said that she was left all by herself to do the internship without being supervised.

Ivan Francis Odyek, a mechanical engineering student at Kyambogo University says that they are asked for money at the internship places. He underwent an internship, but during the COVID 19 pandemic, he continued training at the Makerere University Mechanical Engineering workshop to perfect his work and earn some money.

But Godfrey Kimuli, a mechanical engineering trainer at Makerere University Mechanical Engineering workshop says apart from lack of spare parts for training students, the students themselves have problems. The trainees come to the garage while not knowing anything practical about a motor vehicle, some fail to turn up daily due to the stress they experience in the first days of training.

Dr Michael Kyakula, Head of Civil and Building department at Kyambogo University says some students apply to the wrong organizations for an internship.

“On several occasions, the students have been advised to work with their university and external supervisors during the internship so that they get the practical knowledge. But most times, students start an internship by informing their supervisors which is wrong.” Dr Kyakula said.

Johnson Turyamwesimira, the principal qualification officer at the Directorate of Industrial Training blames the poor internship placements and training on the COVID-19 pandemic. Few training places are offering internships while some take in very few because there are few staff. He says this affects the graduates who are passed out especially on the hands-on work in engineering.

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