Over the summer, I had the privilege of spending 12 weeks in Toronto, Canada, working as a Mechanical Engineering Intern with Framatome in Pickering through the Saltire Scholars Programme. I found out about the programme through my careers team at university and applied as I was interested in the international experiences offered and the stories I saw on the website.
Framatome is a nuclear engineering company and the work I did while there was varied, from preparing and reviewing engineering drawings, to designing supports and helping modernise workflows with 3D scanning and Python automation. Some of the work built on skills I already had from university (CAD, basic calculations), but most was new and specialised to the nuclear industry, so I had to adapt and learn quickly. It was great to apply my experience in a real nuclear engineering environment and the highlight was when I went for a visit at the plant itself to see the projects I’d contributed to in-person.
While working there, a large project approached its deadline which allowed me to contribute early on, designing pipe supports, drafting routing layouts, creating a design manual, and developing automation tools with Python. This helped the team meet those deadlines and in some cases, permanently improved current processes. I was fortunate while there to have a team full of new hires and interns that were great for a sense of community, and made it easy to build professional connections.
Outside of work, the Saltire community made the summer even better. We explored Toronto on the weekends, and with a small group I went to Montreal, Calgary, Banff, Jasper, Whistler and Vancouver. One unexpected benefit was the Saltire events where we met board members of Saltire Canada, including CEOs and executives, and heard their inspiring stories.
The internship gave me more confidence in my technical and soft skills and on a personal level, living abroad and making friends in a new place made me feel a lot more independent and adaptable. I’m proud of how well we all did as a group in Canada, and of the contributions I made at Framatome. The experience has made me seriously consider returning to Canada to work in the future.
I’d definitely recommend the Saltire Scholars Programme as the experience you get is a high-quality internship, a community of like-minded people, and much more through the events and support they give you. Professionally and personally, it has been transformative. I’m looking forward to carrying these lessons into my final year at university and beyond. Being part of the Saltire Scholars community is something I’ll always value, and I’m excited to see where it leads next.
