Indonesia immersion for engineering graduates
Two New Zealand engineering graduates will gain first-hand experience of Jakarta’s construction boom during Asia New
Zealand Foundation internships at Beca.
Aucklanders Sophie Templeton and Howard Smith, who have just completed their degrees at the University of Canterbury,
will begin a 10-week stint at the Beca’s Jakarta office in January. The Beca internship is one of several work
placements offered by the Asia New Zealand Foundation to give young New Zealanders business experience in Asia.
Beca is one of the largest employee-owned professional services consultancies in the Asia-Pacific region. It has more
than 3000 staff in 17 offices around the world, including five offices in Asia.
Mike Quirk, Beca’s market leader – buildings, says: “It is great to be able to give young graduates like Sophie and
Howard the opportunity to experience working in the engineering profession. Our New Zealand offices are involved in a
number of international projects, creating a great learning environment for everyone at Beca.”
Sophie Templeton and Howard have been spending time in Beca’s Auckland office before they begin their Jakarta
internships.
Templeton, who majored in mechanical engineering, has been placed in Beca’s building services team. “This will be a good
chance for me to get a taste of working in buildings services. It’s also a good chance to experience working in Asia,”
she says.
Working in the Auckland office has helped her prepare for her stay in Indonesia. “Half the team has been to Jakarta or
goes there a lot.”
The former Mount Albert Grammar School prefect has so far been involved in an air-conditioning project for a building
about 40 storeys high. “I don’t think that’s considered particularly high over there.”
Beca is also involved in work on Jakarta’s Signature Tower in Jakarta, which on completion will be the tallest building
in the Southern Hemisphere.
Smith, who majored in civil engineering, is interning in Beca’s structural team. “The projects are definitely so much
bigger than anything that I would otherwise be exposed to in New Zealand.”
The former Sacred Heart College student has previously travelled in Asia – including to Singapore, where he saw the
resort and “engineering marvel” Marina Bay Sands, which Beca was involved in. He says the Jakarta internship will help
him develop a well-rounded view of the region. “It will enable me to build new insights in a country that is developing
more rapidly than any in Southeast Asia.”
Asia New Zealand Foundation business programme director James Penn says the Foundation appreciates the ongoing support
from its business partners. “Giving young New Zealanders business experience in Asia helps build the long-term capacity
of New Zealand to engage with those markets.”
The Foundation also offers business internships with Benesse Corporation in Japan, Digital Jungle in China, KPMG in
Vietnam, Fonterra in China, Kyushu Railway Company in Japan, and the Industrial Technology Research Institute in Taiwan.
The Asia New Zealand Foundation is a non-profit, non-partisan organisation dedicated to building New Zealand’s links
with Asia through a range of programmes, including business, culture, education, media, research and a Leadership
Network. The Foundation is celebrating its 20th Anniversary this year.
ENDS