How Garrett Internships Ignite Careers

Garrett's Internship Programs are deeply rooted in the company's commitment to nurture talent and support young people in fulfilling their potential. Students are encouraged to challenge themselves to achieve their goals within real business scenarios, guided by mentors to develop their own end-to-end projects. These internships provide flexibility around studies, offering students a wide range of job functions within an inspiring, inclusive and international environment.

"My internship at Garrett was transformative and eye-opening," says Katerina Karamarioglou, who recently landed a permanent position as a Development Engineer with Garrett Motion, having excelled on the global internship program.

Katerina, who studied for an Integrated Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Thessaly in Greece, is among the latest cohort of talented students to transition to full time employee through a scheme that covers a huge array of job functions across Garrett's worldwide network.

Her experience not only affirmed her long-held passion for automotive engineering, it also led to a permanent role with the commercial vehicle engineering team at Brno in the Czech Republic.

Other recent intern-to-employee transitioners include Stefan Petrescu, who thrived as part of Garrett's marketing and communications team and is now in a full-time role in Romania; Nicolas Quinto, who worked on a Formula Student race car project and is today an Electric Machine Design Engineer in the Czech Republic; and Sean Connolly, whose achievements during his internship opened up a position as a Development Engineer in Plymouth, USA.

Here, they share their insights into how their internship experiences enabled their fledgling career ambitions to take flight.

How was your internship experience…what did you learn?

Sean: "My internship gave me broad technical experience, particularly in areas that were least familiar to me, and I also learned that communication between colleagues is invaluable."

Katerina: "Beyond professional growth, one aspect that isn't often emphasized is how enjoyable the internship is. I also learned that adaptability is key - because the auto industry is such a fast-paced environment. The knowledge and skills I learned not only helped me professionally, but also in my personal life as an expat, relocating from Greece to the Czech Republic."

Stefan: "For me, the most valuable lesson is that collaboration is key. While participating in my first project, which involved research, implementation, and collecting feedback, I came to realize the essential role of team guidance and collaboration in achieving common goals and fostering a positive work environment."

Nicolas: "I really enjoyed my internship. Our complete ownership of the Formula Student project meant I had to acquire system engineering skills such as benchmarking and product scoping, while discussing customer needs and learning to work in an international environment. I also developed my skills in electrical, mechanical and thermal engineering, which I now apply in my new job."

What support did you receive?

Katerina: "Having my colleagues and my manager as mentors made me feel part of the team from day 1. Their support was key to my development, made my experience both enriching and memorable, and gave me the confidence and resilience to deal with the challenges that arose."

Stefan: "The support of my team colleagues enabled me to learn a real variety of skills - soft skills such as clear communication, project management and design thinking, and hard skills using web-related tools (CMS, Analytics, Reports etc.), and Search Engine Optimization best practice."

Nicolas: "My mentor always kept an eye on my project and provided me with assistance or access to technical experts. Every person I came across within Garrett was enthusiastic about helping me and sharing their knowledge."

Sean: "The mentor assigned to me was a valuable resource throughout my internship, helping me to gather a better understanding of the products and processes at Garrett."

How did you find the transition from intern to employee?

Stefan: "For me, the transition was very smooth, thanks to my gradually taking on more responsibilities during the internship. As a result, I feel ready to take on more challenging tasks, and I'm interacting with more colleagues and working on bigger projects…and I enjoy that a lot."

Nicolas: "Becoming an employee has been very smooth for me. I'm working with the same manager, but now it's me offering advice to students on the Formula Student program. I'm more involved in projects, participate in meetings and work alongside team members, whereas before I was just asking for advice as an intern."

Sean: "I feel extremely lucky to have experienced my current role as an intern before beginning as a full-time employee. The transition was easily made as I was familiar with the terminology, systems, teams and product."

Katerina: "During my internship, it was like I was working on individual pieces of a puzzle. Now, as a full-time employee, I'm putting together the whole picture, making sure each piece fits together and that the project I'm working on is cohesive, which is truly rewarding."

What advice would you give to prospective interns?

Nicolas: "At Garrett, you'll be fully supported. You'll work on meaningful projects, so you need to make sure you learn as much as possible…and have a good time."

Katerina: "Internships can be a crucial first step in your career and can be a lot of fun, especially if you are surrounded by the right team. Given its limited duration, you should make the most of it, be proactive, ask questions, offer to help on tasks and show your colleagues your eagerness and enthusiasm. See every task - no matter how small - as an opportunity to gain new insights, enhance skills and build trust between you and your work colleagues.

Stefan: "Most young people are actively seeking a career path that best fits them - however, I would recommend keeping an open mind to different opportunities because you'll never know if something fits you, if you don't try it."

Sean: "My advice is to not treat an internship as a job, but instead to look upon it as a learning opportunity. Spend time understanding processes, ask questions, dig deeper, study more, and remember the best learning resource will be your colleagues."

Want to know more?

If you feel inspired by the successes of our interns and are ready to take your first step toward a future career, why not take a look at the current range of internship opportunities available with Garrett?

If you're an engineering student, why not consider Garrett's international R&D internships? You'll be involved in projects at the cutting edge of powertrain electrification, including zero-emission products helping to revolutionize sustainable mobility.

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