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 directly rolled into interesting starting positions whilst completing their projects. Our inters play a central role in the organisation and are a true addition to the team. In several aspects actually. But keeping us young and free of boundaries - as we intend to be - is certainly an important one. We therefore like them to speak up.
… and last half year we have experienced quite a lot of that! A record number of interns in one semester at Point FWD; four to be precise. All of them having a unique perspective at our industry, all with a very bright and valuable contribution. In this blog, we have invited our interns Ties Hamelink, Jo-Anne de Vos, Joost Revet and Bram Langeveld to tell us a bit more about their experiences during their interships at Point FWD, and how they look at the start of their professional careers.
Ties Hamelink
Age: 21, Graduation Internship Project - Virtual Queuing in security checkpoints.
Hi! My name is Ties Hamelink, I’m an Aviation-Engineering student at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. I have got a very broad interest in technology and get excited about innovations in particular. In my free time, I like to do hands-on activities like working on cars. When searching for a graduation thesis company, I was appealed to the (relatively) small team of Point FWD, and the young and energetic image of the company. I was interested in a smaller team because I have got the feeling that it results in a more personal experience, and it makes it easier to involve with other departments and projects.
“ During my interviews, I experienced the willingness of the industry to come up with collaborations. What I also enjoyed from my graduation period is the drive for innovation and cross-industry solution-seeking at the company. ”
Over the past semester, I have been performing my graduation thesis at Point FWD’s consultancy department. This is the final phase of my Bachelor studies. During this period I had the opportunity to develop myself academically, personally and professionally. The thesis focused on the possibilities and effect of Virtual Queuing in airport security checkpoints. As part of my research, I got to interview interesting individuals from airports, as well as cross-industry adopters of the Virtual Queuing technology. The Virtual Queuing subject suits my interest in technological innovations very well, especially in combination with the operational side to it. The combination of technology and operations is what I missed a bit during my study, so I am glad to develop myself on this by my thesis. During my research, I have looked at different aspects of Virtual Queuing like the effect on passenger experience, safety and security and (commercial) opportunities for airports. This variety is what I am always looking for in projects. At the time of writing this, I am in the finalisation phase of my thesis.
I experienced the AvSec industry to be competitive and challenging. This is a good thing in my opinion since the competition motivates to deliver even higher performance. During my interviews, I experienced the willingness of the industry to come up with collaborations. What I also enjoyed from my graduation period is the drive for innovation and cross-industry solution-seeking at the company.
I have never felt uncomfortable asking anybody at Point FWD for help, and there is a relaxed and friendly atmosphere with enough humor. The monthly team meetings, besides being effective, help to keep the connection with each other, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. I am very glad with the opportunity to extend my internship period at Point FWD for two months. During this time, I will assist Point FWD’s consultancy team and gain working experience around the topic of my research.
Jo-Anne de Vos
Age: 22, Graduation Project - Security operator primary viewing station.
Hi! I’m Jo-Anne de Vos and I’m currently in the graduation phase of my study ‘Forensic Investigation’ at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. During my studies I discovered that what I find very inspiring is the great positive impact that conducting research and sharing the results thereof has on people. That by learning and sharing knowledge and experiences, you are able to contribute to helping people. Not only in the forensic field, but in every kind of industry.
At Point FWD, I was given the chance to contribute to the potential improvement of the AvSec industry by performing a research in which I could discover my own interests. Combining my experience of working as a part-time airport security operator at Schiphol Airport, the research skills I required from my study and my interest in psychology, led to a research regarding the interaction of security operators with the user interface of the Primary Viewing Station. During this internship and research, I got to meet and collaborate with field experts, both from Point FWD and internationally from multiple airports and security companies. All field experts were very open to share their knowledge and experiences, which I transformed into various recommendations on potential improvement of operator satisfaction and performance from a field expert point of view. Currently I have submitted the thesis I wrote regarding this research and I will hopefully present my research as my final assessment next week (fingers crossed!).
“The team was open to including me in multiple ongoing projects to learn more about the AvSec industry and the company itself, which has been a very insightful and educational experience for me.”
One of the things I admire most about this company is the enthusiasm and passion for this industry, that every single person on the team has. These qualities work very contagious and motivating, which pushed me to expand my limits in the best way possible. The team was open to including me in multiple ongoing projects to learn more about the AvSec industry and the company itself, which has been a very insightful and educational experience for me. It is also very impressive to experience such a warm corporate culture where every employee is valued in equal measure: from senior consultants to interns to managing director. Despite not being able to see everyone on a daily basis due to Covid-19, this group of people made me feel welcome and included since day one.
Then … my next steps. I always thought that after my Bachelor’s, I would want to continue my studies by doing a Master’s. However, currently I have yet to figure out which one. Therefore, after this internship I want to explore my interests, gain more experience and hopefully, along the way I’ll get inspired on what kind of Master’s I might want to do and if that’s still the way I want to go. For now, I’m going to enjoy this last phase of my study and graduation internship as much as I can and will appreciate everything the future holds for me.
Joost Revet
Age: 22, Graduation Internship Project - Marketing
Hi! My name is Joost Revet and I am currently finishing my internship at Point FWD. Currently I am in the graduation phase of my study ‘Global Marketing and sales at the Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. During my studies, especially my minor, I found an interest in helping smaller companies design, improve and build their commercial activities. Acting from a believe that marketing and sales are two sides of the same coin, I find joy and energy in helping companies grow sustainably. I found out about Point FWD through Robin van Gemert, who contacted me on LinkedIn.
“Point FWD allowed me to grow as a person and as a marketing professional. During my time here I got the opportunities to experiment and discover new ways to approach commercial challenges.”
For my studies we have to help the organisation tackle strategic issues and help implement hands-on solutions. So during my time here my focus has been redefining Point FWD’s commercial activities. While most other interns have somewhat of a background in aviation, I started out completely new. Thanks to the superb guidance from everyone within the company I got all the knowledge I needed to hit the ground running. My studies focussed on building a sustainable marketing funnel for future growth within the company. We analysed the current activities and found ways to continue growing out outreach, hoping to help as many AvSec enthousiasts tackle their issues and find new opportunities.
Point FWD allowed me to grow as a person and as a marketing professional. During my time here I got the opportunities to experiment and discover new ways to approach commercial challenges. We started our monthly AvSec update (If you haven’t done so yet, please take the time to subscribe!), to keep the industry up to date with all the latest trends. The one thing I really appreciated was how I got involved in the website update and how my opinion was frequently asked and taken into consideration. In the end we managed to restructure Point FWD marketing activities and create a solid base for the foreseeable future.
After this internship I will be taking some time to map out my next steps. I have decided to keep learning in the ‘’real’’ world, so I won’t be looking at starting my Master’s degree just yet. I do know that I want to continue helping companies grow and build. I loved the hands-on approach and would love to keep doing this in the future, so I will be on the look out for opportunities like the ones I got here at Point FWD.
Bram Langeveld
Age: 20, Internship Project - Marketing
Hi! My name is Bram Langeveld, a third-year Aviation Operations student at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. Currently I am in the final two weeks of my internship at Point FWD.
The aviation industry is always innovating. It uses new technologies, sometimes from outside of the aviation industry and implements these into the airport operations. For instance, self-service technologies. These technologies are currently in operation at several airports at check-in, bag drop off and passport control. Missing from this list is security screening. Therefore, for my internship assignment I researched the potential for and created three self-service security concepts. These three concepts each use different technologies which are currently in development. The concepts are out of the box ideas which take the legislative and functional requirements into consideration. Having out of the box ideas creates a lot of creative freedom which ensured a fun challenge, not having many experiences designing.
“Prior to this internship my knowledge about the AvSec industry was limited. However, during the internship I learned a lot about the industry and now it has become one of the most interesting sectors of the aviation industry. ”
Currently the internship supervisor is grading the final report. In the meantime, I am assisting with several small projects whilst gaining knowledge of the AvSec industry.
Considering the projects which I helped with, I learned new skills which can be beneficial in the future. Working in a team with people who have a lot of knowledge of the AvSec industry has been helpful. The team has taught me much about the industry and were always excited to explain things into detail. As an intern you truly feel part of the team.
As there are only two weeks remaining for this internship this is also the time to look ahead. In the first semester of the 4th year, I will take part in the aviation management specialisation track. In the second semester I will start the final section of my study which will be my graduation internship. After graduating I will most likely start my master’s education, as I will only be 21 years old if I graduate next year. Presently which masters is unsure but lately I have been researching the possibilities for a master’s in risk management or safety. Time will tell.
Are you interested in a third year internship? We have still one spot available starting September. Check out our vacancy below and respond!
