Lynn van Dijk is a Logistics Engineering student who decided to go abroad for her placement last year. She shares her experiences at Haigh's Chocolates in Australia.
Stories
“In 2018, I went on holiday to Australia, and I quickly realised that this was where I wanted to do my placement. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to improve my English, meet new people, and immerse myself in a different culture.” With the help of relatives in Adelaide, Lynn began searching for an ideal host company to do a work placement for. Eventually, she found a great opportunity at a chocolate factory: Haigh’s Chocolates. “It wasn’t just a tasty place to work; it was also full of fascinating production processes.”
Haigh’s Chocolates is a family-owned business, and that was immediately clear from the company culture, Lynn says. “It’s not a big company, but it has a close-knit team. Colleagues were always friendly and helpful, and I felt at home from the start.” During her placement, Lynn worked on documenting the production process, presenting it in a clear way through dashboards. “I created a new database setup in Excel, allowing staff to easily check their efficiency, machine downtime and the reasons behind it, production numbers per shift and product, and the speed of their output.” At the end of her placement, Lynn presented her results to the board of directors and her company supervisor, who were both very pleased with her work.
Beyond her placement, Lynn thoroughly enjoyed life in Australia. “What stood out the most was the people’s relaxed, laid-back attitude. It matched exactly what I expected of Australians, though at times I found it challenging during my placement because I wanted to keep working and reach all my goals.”
Lynn also went to Australia for the overall experience and, through Facebook, made many new friends from all over the world. “Thanks to them, I got to know so many different cultures and traditions. At weekends, we’d often go to parties or go camping ‘in the middle of nowhere.’” During the Christmas break, she set off on her own to Melbourne and Sydney, where she celebrated New Year – a memory she will never forget.
What has stayed with Lynn the most from her placement experience? The joy of meeting new people and travelling solo. “At first, it’s a bit daunting because you don’t know where you’ll end up, but I met so many interesting people and made great friends.” Next year, Lynn hopes to travel through New Zealand and then return to Adelaide.
