Exploring the Aviation Security industry with an internship
Every year Point FWD is lucky enough to connect with a great number of enthusiastic students willing to cooperate for their internship projects. In fact, a major part of current (and former) employees have rolled directly into interesting starting positions after completing their projects. These interns are every year again truly a great addition to the team at Point FWD. In several aspects actually. But keeping us young and free of too many boundaries - as we intend to be - is certainly an important one. That is, students at Point FWD are actively asked to bring their views on things, potentially breaking common paths of thinking inside of the organisation. We therefore like them to speak up.
Talking about that.. we’ve invited Ilja van Ginkel, Sophia Wolkerstorfer and Jorian Carpentier (order of starting date) to tell us a bit about their experiences so far, and how they see future things happening in their professional careers.
Ilja van Ginkel
Age: 24, Internship Project - Passenger Journey Touchpoints
Hi, I am Ilja and I am a student at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Here I study aviation operations and I am in my final part of the third year. This last half year was designated for an internship which I have been doing at Point FWD. I am already in my final week but have had an amazing time during my internship. I had my own research to complete which was focussed on seeing which passenger touchpoints could possibly be combined based on legislation and the involved stakeholders. I found this to be a very interesting topic and I have learned a lot along the way about the AvSec industry during my research and through communication with the Point FWD team. The report that I have written over the last few months is now in the final stadium and I am now implementing the final feedback and fixing the final layout of the report.
“I had my own research to complete which was focussed on seeing which passenger touchpoints could possibly be combined based on legislation and the involved stakeholders. ”
I have also gotten the opportunity to work along side Point FWD consultants during my internship and help them with a project. Which was very interesting to do and I have learned a lot about how to carry out such a project.
I have had a lot of fun over the last five months with the Point FWD team as they were all very helpful and kind, even though it has been challenging to meet everyone because of Covid-19. The Point FWD team was always willing to share their knowledge with me and help me along during my research.
After my internship ends, I will start with my final year at the aviation academy in February. My first half of the year will be focussed on aviation logistics and then after summer break I will start with the final section of my study which will be my graduation internship. I hope to also find a graduation internship within the AvSec industry as these five months have shown that I find this part of the aviation industry incredibly interesting and fun.
Sophia Wolkerstorfer
Age: 21, Graduation Project - Future of Security Scanners
Hi, my name is Sophia Wolkerstorfer. Currently, I am working on my graduation thesis for Aviation Studies at the Amsterdam University for Applied Sciences. In the first year of the study Aviation, my interest in de field of safety and security were triggered. However, since following the graduation track “Security & Technology” my curiosity and amazement for the field of Aviation Security (AvSec) grew exponentially. After first successfully working on an internship for the security department of Schiphol, I knew I also wanted to perform my graduation internship in the field of AvSec. This eventually led me to apply for a graduation internship at Point FWD.
“For my graduation thesis, I am working on one of the biggest uncertainties there is: the future.”
For my graduation thesis, I am working on one of the biggest uncertainties there is: the future. Point FWD has asked me to create a research report on the future of the security scanners. This research report will provide insights into the trends for the future. Based on expert interviews and a passenger experience questionnaire, possible future scenarios as to what the security scanner landscape will look like are sketched. Currently, I am three/fourths of the way through my internship; and in the midst of the solution phase of the report.
So far, I can say my experience at Point FWD has been incredible. Despite this internship taking place in the thick of the Covid-19 pandemic, I still have been able to appreciate the Point FWD team and all that surrounds it. I am fortunate enough to still have been able to go to the office throughout my internship, even though it was just once every two weeks or so. During this time, I have come to know the rest of the team as being enthusiastic, driven, compassionate and incredibly skillful. Quite similar to the experience I had with the AvSec field in general. Throughout my internship I have held more than 10 interviews with different experts on the field of AvSec. From legislators to airports; and from consultants to manufacturers. Every person has helped me gain more knowledge and with that, appreciation for their work in this industry.
“Throughout my internship I have held more than 10 interviews with different experts on the field of AvSec.”
As for my next steps in life and my professional career; I went into this internship with the idea of continuing my studies at the Leiden University in the study “Security Studies”. The idea behind this is to further deepen my knowledge of security, while at the same time broadening it by also focusing on security outside of the aviation industry. The idea of continuing my studies mostly came from the fact that I did not feel ready to start working full-time as I am 21 at the time of finishing this graduation internship. However, since starting my internship at Point FWD, I have come to realize that working can be more fun than I imagined it to be. Therefore, I am now a bit torn between working or continue studying after my internship. For me personally, the perfect scenario would be to combine it, that way I’ll be able to experience the best of both worlds.
Jorian Carpentier
Age: 22, Internship Project - Business Intelligence
Hi! My name is Jorian Carpentier and I am currently doing an internship at Point FWD. In August 2020, I graduated as a Bachelor of Science in Aviation from the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. For a long time, I have intended to start a Master’s after graduating from my Bachelor. However, when I graduated I did not yet have a clear image of what Masters are available and which would suit me best. That is why I decided to give myself some more time to explore my opportunities and broaden my horizon. As I was not planning to do nothing else besides orienting, I announced that I was looking for a temporary function. Via a former fellow student I got in contact with Point FWD.
“The fun thing of Point FWD is that interns are invited to cooperate in a range of activities, which means that I am not only focusing on CIT, but also participate in other projects.”
I am a Business Intelligence intern at Point FWD. My activities are centred around Point FWD’s Checkpoint Insight Tool (CIT), which assists security stakeholders in creating valuable insights in aviation security processes. I have just finished the start-up phase of my internship. After learning to work with SQL and Microsoft Power BI, getting up to speed with the activities of Point FWD and discovering CIT, I am now starting to cooperate in projects. The fun thing of Point FWD is that interns are invited to cooperate in a range of activities, which means that I am not only focusing on CIT, but also participate in other projects.
Although Point FWD is a relatively small company (approximately fifteen employees, including interns), its reach and impact within the AVSEC industry are impressive. The team is amazing and everyone is (almost) always available for support of any kind. Interns are really part of the team and involved in everything which can be of value for them.
I do not have a clear vision for the next step in my career after this internship. As I mentioned, doing a Master’s is still on my radar. However, I might try to gain more experience and get a taste of various industries first.
Interested in the research’ performed by our interns? Our interested in doing an internship at Point FWD? Please check out our Open Positions or contact us via the button below.