Interesting start to Lisas year as a trainee

Tanker in China, an engine plant in Italy and many new skills. For Lisa Kilsmark, one of Ligthouse trainees, it has been an intense start of the career.

Each year, Lighthouse offers newly graduated Naval Architects the chance to work as a trainee in the shipping industry. The trainee programme involves different actors in the Swedish maritime industry; ship-owners, shipyards and manufacturers, classification societies, authorities, designers and more.

Lisa Kilsmark is halfway through her year as a Lighthouse trainee.

How has it been so far?
Intense and very instructive. So far I have been on Stena and Wärtsilä and made three periods abroad.

Where have you been and what have you been doing during your time abroad?
The first period was in November. Then I went with Stena to Guangzhou in China to visit a shipyard that builds tankers for them. On the shipyard, I got to go on the daily inspections of the shipbuilding.

In December I visited the Wärtsilä Ship Design Office in Gdynia, Poland. I got several smaller tasks such as updating drawings and proofread vessel specifications. In January, I was at the Wärtsilä engine plant in Trieste, Italy.

How important is it that some of the trainee period is abroad?
It really means a lot. Ship industry is very international and I have had the chance to see parts of the industry that does not exist in Sweden.

What are your expectations for the rest of your trainee period?
I hope I will continue to learn new things and get to see parts of the industry that I have not previously seen.

What do you hope to get out of the trainee program?
I hope that I will have acquired much experience that can be useful in my future career.

What advices would you give future trainees?
Take the opportunity to test as much as possible. The trainee program is both a chance to try things that I already think are interesting, but also areas that I previously did not know much about.

Read here for more information about Lighthouse trainee program.