August 25, 2022
Categories: MTE News
Investing in the future, MTE proudly hires co-op students throughout the year. As a multidisciplinary firm, we are able to hire students with varying educational backgrounds and provide an opportunity to take what they’ve learned in the classroom and apply their knowledge to real-world scenarios. Not only do they get to learn from us, but we get to learn from them as they bring a fresh perspective to our team.
With the summer 2022 co-op term coming to a close, we are sad to see our students go, but are thrilled to see how far they’ve come and we know they’ll go on to do great things.
What was your role at MTE?
The majority of what I do is full-time inspection of the paving or installation of sanitary, storm and water services. I’ve been responsible for tracking everything happening on site, and ensuring the construction happens according to specs.
What’s next for you?
I hope to continue to grow in the huge world of civil and possibly do a bridge program to get my full engineering degree. I also hope to continue to make the industry a place where girls are comfortable. The industry has definitely gotten better over the years, but it still has a ways to go and MTE has been very supportive of me as a girl on site.
Tell us about a memorable project you worked on over your term at MTE.
The most memorable project that I’ve worked on over my term is Kitchener City Hall Renewal project. This is such a diverse and memorable project because there were so many learning opportunities! Before heading to site, my Project Manager and I would discuss what I was to review. I learned so much about waterproofing, concrete specifications, bollards and so much more. To see this in action really changed the way I view drawings, especially now that I can visualize it all in my head.
What’s the most important thing you learned here?
One of the most important things I’ve learned here and will carry forward with me, regardless of the job, is that everyone makes mistakes, especially if you’re new. The key is that you accept you have made a mistake and learn from it so you can prevent the same situation from happening again.
What’s the most important thing you learned here?
My co-op at MTE has been an amazing start to my career. I have learned so much about working in the field and in the office. My greatest learning experience here has been throughout my exposure to field work and how things are actually done in real life projects.
What’s next for you?
My goal at the moment is to finish my studies at Conestoga College and start my career as a project coordinator in the future.
What was your role at MTE?
I began working for MTE in the fall of 2021 as a high school co-op student. During this time, I worked in our geotechnical lab, performing various tests on soil samples. Through this experience I was offered a summer student position in 2022. Returning to MTE has allowed me to continue my work in the geotechnical lab, but also take on greater responsibilities in my department. I now have experience inputting lab data and drafting borehole logs. I have also had the opportunity to work on site, supervising borehole drilling and performing compaction testing. These experiences have given me a greater understanding of the impacts of lab testing and allowed me to observe the construction process as a whole.
What were some of the highlights of your co-op term?
A highlight of my co-op experience has been supervising borehole drilling. Observing this process has been very beneficial to my understanding of geotechnical analysis. I have learned how the characterization of stratigraphy can help determine the impact that geological formations may have on construction projects. I also enjoy learning from the techs and engineers in my department on a daily basis. I am grateful that they always take the time to explain what they are working on and the overall impacts of their tasks.
What was your role at MTE?
As an Inspector, I was able to bounce around to a number of different jobs and sites. It has given me the opportunity to see many different areas in the field and expand my experience and knowledge.
What were some highlights of your time here?
Each day was new, I looked forward to what each project had in store and getting to see the things I learned in school come to life. Another highlight was definitely the great team I worked with.
What’s next for you?
Hopefully coming back to MTE in a full-time position after my final year at school.
Tell us about a memorable project you worked on over your term at MTE.
I created an R-Plan for a parking lot on Ontario Street in Stratford. It was my first R-plan and it is located in an area of the City that I have been to regularly. It was interesting looking at old maps of the area to find the bearings and distances to put on the plan.
What were some highlights of your time here?
Getting to know the staff and learning new things. There is so much to learn and it is exciting to see my progression over the past couple of months. I have enjoyed looking at old maps and interpreting the information to create new drawings.
What’s the most important thing you learned here?
AutoCAD. Being able to use the program better and feeling more comfortable with it will definitely help me with my schooling this fall. My program also focuses on surveying so being in the OLS department and learning the terminology and how to read plans and maps will definitely benefit my studies.
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