Sun, surfing and steel constructions
- Lars Godballe, student of Architectural Technology & Construction Management
While a wet autumn and short evenings made their entry into Northern Denmark, Lars Godballe packed his swim trunks and workwear to spend the five months in a warmer climate.
On the Architectural Technology & Construction Management programme at UCN - University College of Northern Denmark the 6th semester is spent on an internship. While most students go on an internship in a well known environment, Lars Godballe decided to go on his internship halfway around the globe.
Long awaited revisit
Lars travelled around Australia as a backpacker for seven months, where he had different short jobs such as a helper at several wineries, as a remover and as an odd-jobber at a dive resort. After this journey, Lars got interested in the home of the kangaroos and he has been wanting to go back ever since. That is why he decided to look for internships in Australia.
- “I wrote about 15 applications, which I sent to different contractors. I only chose the largest Australian companies because I wanted to follow some really large construction work. I received many positive responses, but just like Denmark, Australia is suffering from the crisis, so nothing much happened", says Lars Godballe.
Brookfield Multiplex
But suddenly, Lars received an email from Brookfield Multiplex replying that they would like him to work on their construction project of Hilton Surfers Paradise Hotel & Residences. This is a place where Lars would be able to try his strengths on a large construction site since the future Hilton resort was to consist of 310 luxury flats and a hotel with 169 rooms. Brookfield Multiplex had an intern from UCN - University College of Northern Denmark before, and this means they knew what these students had to offer.
- They even offered me a salary even though they are actually not obligated to do so. They would pay me 20 dollars an hour which I had to decline due to the visa rules.
Great experience
Lars had high expectations to the whole trip and meeting the local culture and nature. But first and foremost, the professional challenges were what he was really looking forward to.
- “I see it this way: even though my internship cost me a lot financially, it was simply something I had to do. It was time for me to prove myself. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Furthermore, he looked forward to bring home a lot of new knowledge about construction in Australia and not least about what it is like to run a site as large as the Hilton project. This is knowledge that he looked forward to share with his class mates and other interested parties at UCN - University College of Northern Denmark.
