"We were very happy with the support we received from employees and our project supervisor."

Sophie, Joep, Iza and Maerle are students at the Avans Hogeschool in Breda, The Netherlands. In the second year of their Business Administration study, they were assigned to carry out a group project at a company. They eventually came into contact with Farm Trans and started setting up an improvement process within Farm Trans's temperature controlled transport division.

In addition to gaining experience within a business environment, the aim of the internship assignment was to provide well-founded advice to shorten the lead time of part of the order-to-cash process. The order-to-cash process covers the entire process from placing an order by a customer to the payment of the invoice by this customer.

Read the experiences of these students during their internship at Farm Trans below.

Why did you choose to do an internship at Farm Trans?

During the search for an internship company, we first looked within our own network and put all options on the table. We came into contact with this organization through a family member and we soon came to the conclusion that Farm Trans could be a suitable company for our project.

During the introductory meeting to which we were invited, we came to various topics for which we could possibly start an improvement project. These topics appealed to us, so we planned a follow-up meeting and started the project at Farm Trans.

What did you positively notice during your internship with regard to the company and the implementation of your internship?

The first very positive point that we would like to mention is the warm welcome and the good atmosphere within the organization. This made us feel at ease and it was no problem to ask questions to employees. We noticed that all employees were open to helping us. In addition, it was also very nice that a workplace was made available to us. We could go here every week and we could use the facilities, although it was not a requirement from school.

Are there things that could be improved to better facilitate future internships at Farm Trans?

We were very happy with the support we received from employees and our project supervisor. We are aware that we were very lucky with this and that this will not be the case for all organizations. We therefore do not think that it should be any different for a subsequent internship.

Did you achieve the goal of your internship assignment?

The aim of the internship assignment was to provide well-founded advice. In our opinion, we have accomplished this. After the final presentation, we heard from the feedback that the advice has led to new insights within Farm Trans.

Our objective that we set during the project has also been achieved. The additional result we have achieved is that we now know how such a project works, so that we are more secure for our future internship that we will have to carry out individually in the third year.

Would you like to work at Farm Trans in the future? And in what position?

Sophie: “In my opinion, Farm Trans is a good organization for its employees, which makes it appealing to me to work at Farm Trans in the future. The working environment with regard to the layout of the building and 1 large central canteen that is missing, appeals less to me. In addition to the position of business administration, this internship also made me realize that Human Resource is an interesting field.”

Maerle: “I also think Farm Trans is a very nice organization to work for. The nice employees and the pleasant, informal atmosphere appeal to me to actually come and work there. After my study I could perhaps contribute here as a professional, and I also find the role of the QESH (Quality, Environment, Safety, Health) manager very interesting.”

Joep: “I think Farm Trans has a very nice working environment, which means that the company appeals to me to be able to work there in the future. However, I don't know what kind of position I would like to work in later, so I can't say anything about that. I can agree with Sophie that I think a large central joint canteen is missing. As a result, you don't get to know all people in the organization.”

Iza: “At Farm Trans I received a very friendly and warm welcome, there is a good corporate culture. If I start looking for a job in the future, this pleasant working climate could be an extra consideration for applying at Farm Trans. During my study I am currently still looking for which direction I want to go in business. As a result, I find it difficult to indicate which position suits me.”

Do you have any final tips or feedback for us?

We want to thank Farm Trans for this opportunity and all the good help. We hope to have helped you with our advice and brought you new insights.

Study: HBO Business Administration 2nd year, Avans Hogeschool Breda