Jerene Chan (18 years old) is halfway through her Human Resources (HR) internship at our Singapore office. “I was drawn to Boskalis by the exciting range of offshore operations. The pleasant office culture is an added bonus and makes me even more eager to learn.”
As a maritime business student at Singapore Polytechnic, Jerene is exploring the world of both maritime subjects and business education. “Most of my fellow students picked their internships at major commercial shipping lines. A safe and interesting choice – but adventurous as I am, I wanted to do something special. I did my homework and discovered that Boskalis is involved in all kinds of interesting operations that drew my attention, such as dredging, offshore energy and salvage.”
Crewing
As an intern at the HR department, Jerene is involved in all kinds of personnel management activities. “I spend most of my time on crewing. Scheduling, payrolling, contract management: all the formalities that need to be done to make sure our vessels are staffed with capable and happy people. I really enjoy how every day brings new tasks and learning opportunities.”
Jerene’s responsibilities aren’t limited to desk work. For example, she was recently welcomed aboard a vessel of Boskalis’ heavy lift joint venture, Asian Lift. She was there to make sure the working and living conditions complied with international standards. “Performing Maritime Labor Convention audits gave me the opportunity to gain knowledge from the ship’s crew and make a difference onboard. I made the most of the experience and was even allowed on the bridge to see all the fascinating (navigation) systems I learned so much about in school.”
Second home
The open and collaborative culture and attention for employee well-being really opened Jerene’s eyes. “The atmosphere helped me gain the courage to share my skills and opinions. Just three months in, the office already feels like my second home. My colleagues are always ready to help, no matter their position or department. And at the same time, they are eager to learn from my freshly gained knowledge, as technology advances so quickly. For instance, I teach my colleagues to work with innovative IT-applications to make their job more efficient.”
Jerene appreciates how Boskalis makes an effort to boost the team’s professional skills by organizing ‘meet-the-expert sessions’ and webinars on skill competencies. On top of that, there are the regular office activities such as monthly colleague get-togethers and celebrations. These moments absolutely boost the sense of community within the workplace.
Maritime passion
“So far, this internship broadened my passion for maritime business”, Jerene concludes. At her young age, she doesn’t have her entire future planned out yet. But she does know one thing: “I’m looking forward to continue expanding my knowledge, here at Boskalis and during my final semesters at school – where I’ll also try my best to inspire other students to consider a future in less conventional maritime sectors. The opportunities are endless.”
Are you also inspired to explore the maritime business opportunities at Boskalis? Check out our job and internship vacancies here.
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