by Iwona Ciesielka

They say that you can never come home again…but you can, in a slightly different way. That is precisely what one of our alumni has done! Meet Dave Maw, Manager of the Client Solutions Architecture Team at Exchange Solutions Inc. [ESI]. Dave has been with this rapidly growing customer value management outsourcing, service and software company for three years now, but the story begins much earlier…

Back in 1997, Dave was completing his Computer Science degree at Western. As most students in the technical area, he was eager to participate in the Industry Internship Program, which allowed undergraduate students to participate in work-experience placements with various industries. Dave was successful in securing a placement with Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in Whitby, Ontario. During his 16-month placement, he progressed from a Systems Engineer "in training", to duties resembling those of a Junior Programmer. Dave’s placement was all encompassing, it included programming in C and Visual Basic, as well as giving him a solid foundation for IP networking and network configuration. Some of the most valuable lessons were the application of what Dave had experienced in the classroom, and realizing that technology alone is not enough, but rather one must understand the business that drives technology. He also learned that it was crucial to identify the exact needs of all parties involved in a project, as a functional technical application isn’t always the solution that a business is looking for.

Following his Internship placement, Dave joined On-Que Technologies, an Internet/intranet solutions provider, as a principal, before moving into his current position at ESI. What makes this story unique, is that Dave fully appreciates the life, technical and career lessons that he obtained during his Internship, and has subsequently hired a Computer Science Intern himself this year. An alumnus of the Science Internship Program coming back to Western to participate as an employer – we truly have come full circle! Dave is quick to point out that the benefits are not all for the students: the employer has the opportunity to accurately evaluate an Intern and determine if that particular student would meet their needs as a full-time employee upon graduation. If an intern returns to the same employer, they have the benefit of previous experience with the organization and are able to add value immediately. The complete assessment during the Internship period helps employers to "fit" the Intern into the appropriate full time position. There is also the fact that an Intern has a high potential of adding significant value to the organization during the Internship period…for a very reasonable salary.

Although we are very proud of Western’s Science Industry Internship Program, there are other forms of cooperative education placements available. When we asked Dave why he chose to return to Western, his answer was simple: "It was the length of the placement. Since Internships range from 8-16 months, the student is around long enough to add value to the organization and gain valuable experience in their own professional development. I would suggest that the shorter co-op terms have students returning to school just as they have finished learning enough about the business to begin adding value"

Dave, as most of our employers, has found a suitable intern who possesses excellent written and verbal communications skills, problem solving abilities, the drive to learn and to move a project/task to completion without being micro managed, and has shown evidence of innovative thinking. As the student gains work experience they will come to solve specific technical problems. Dave indicates that he is already impressed by the quality of what Western offers, "The Internship is going well. Almost from the moment the Intern arrived, he was thrust into a project that needed immediate attention. His dedication and drive to get the work done has been exemplary".

Please send your questions or comments on "Science Flashpoint" to: iwona@uwo.ca