One of the ways we keep our company thriving is by investing in the next generation. We are proud to welcome dozens of interns every year, offering them a workplace where they can flourish and develop their talent.
In honour of International Interns’ Day, we spoke to our trainee-turned-employee Vincent Demers.
Vincent completed his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering at the Université de Sherbrooke in December 2021. This was his fifth and final internship with our Soucy Sports Motorisés division. Since January 2022, Vincent has held the position of Track System Project Manager.
Making the internship experience as rewarding as possible is our mission for every new intern at Soucy. In Vincent's case, since this was his fifth internship, we adapted the level of difficulty to his acquired skills and gave him a lot of freedom in his day-to-day work.
"What I liked was the confidence my supervisor had in me. He saw that I was comfortable and could do more, so he allowed me to take on a bigger leadership role. He offered me the chance to take on a new customer and a project, while remaining available to help and support me as needed," says Vincent.
We pride ourselves on our modern learning methods. We put a lot of trust in our interns and let them chart their own course. At Soucy, we think it’s important that our employees include both experienced people and young graduates. Vincent agrees. "My internship supervisor and I had a lot in common. He studied in Sherbrooke, like me, so it was fun! We could talk and understand each other, and it made for a lively dynamic. In terms of my current position, most of the other project managers have 10 to 15 years of experience, so I feel I still have a lot to learn, but it's still a very dynamic environment. It bears repeating that they have a lot of confidence in me and are always ready to help. That's one of the reasons why I recommend doing an internship at Soucy. Another reason is that when I went back to work at the company where I did my internship, I already had the basics down. I wasn’t starting from scratch. For instance, I was already familiar with the software, the processes and some of the resources I needed."
At Soucy, we offer a wide range of opportunities for our interns, both during and after their internship. We listen to their needs and do our best to accommodate them. Moreover, when our interns tell us they’d like to stay on with us, we look for the best win-win solution to offer them the position that best suits their needs.
"During my internship, they offered me a position as a design engineer at Soucy Sports Motorisés. Then, during my last semester of school, I received a call from an HR advisor who offered me my current position as project manager, knowing that I was more interested in management than design. So I was transferred to Soucy Track Systems for the development of a new kit, even before I became an employee."
In closing, we asked Vincent if he had any advice for future interns. "Personally, I've done my internships in different environments. For my last internship, I told myself that I was going to go to a place that I might like to work. But the opportunity at Soucy wasn't posted yet. I contacted the company to tell them I was interested in doing my internship there. So, my advice to future interns is to take a chance. If you want to intern at a specific company, send them your CV even if you don't see an internship position available. And don't be afraid to accept an internship with a description of tasks that doesn’t meet your exact preferences. I took the chance of accepting a more technical internship, even though it wasn't my preference. In the end, they modified the offer to allow me to take on more of a managerial position, just like I wanted to do."
If you’re also interested in an internship with a company that can adapt to your needs, check out our available internships! If you don't see an opportunity that suits you, send us an e-mail at cv@soucy-group.com.