eDrive internship participants leaving with a change in perspective

AFTER SIX weeks of Project eDrive’s 2023 Summer Internship Programme, Zakhele Ellington is one of the 21 interns leaving the programme with a change of perspective.

The Project eDrive 2023 Summer Internship Programme, which began on July 3 and will end on September 1, forms part of a collaborative effort of the JPS Foundation and IDB Lab created to support the growth of electric vehicle usage in Jamaica and the associated support services in preparation for the new era of business opportunities.

The interns for this year’s programme were selected from the Engineering and Information Technology (IT) departments of universities islandwide.

Second-year Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering student at the University of Technology, Zakhele Ellington, recently completed his stint as an eDrive intern at the Jamaican Energy Partners Group at West Kingston stationed at Evergo.

The excited 21-year-old intern from Rollington Town spoke about his experience with the internship programme.

“My internship at the Jamaican Energy Partners Group at West Kingston stationed at Evergo has been nothing but the absolute best experience I have ever gained thus far. It has impacted my life by exposing me to what my line of study is like in the real world and what skill sets and work ethics are required.”

Ellington said his perspective has drastically changed since joining the programme.

“My perspective has shifted drastically because of being in the workspace. It has shown me how it is I am to function as an individual and, most importantly, how to navigate myself to get each and every task done in an orderly manner,” he said.

Though not new to internships and work opportunities, Ellington maintained that no other internship demanded that he function in a similar capacity to Evergo.

“I have had many other opportunities before this one. However, it has never demanded me to function in this capacity as I have done with Evergo,” Ellington said.

“A typical day as an intern at Evergo would include us reading the documentation of the different electric vehicle chargers, site visitation, attending meetings and doing AutoCAD drawings for my manager/supervisor, and proposing ideas to them about a project they want us to do. What I enjoy the most from my work days is the site visitation because that is where I get to really apply what I have been able to learn so far in the working space,” he added.

When prompted about what he looked most forward to from his internship experience, Ellington shared that, “to learn as much as I can not only in my field of study but also from different fields as well. I say this because I strongly believe you should be a well-rounded individual to tackle any task given by life.”

Not only has the eDrive internship made him a well-rounded student, but it’s also provided valuable knowledge about electric vehicles.

Ellington admitted that he had limited knowledge of electric cars before the internship but recounted the positive benefits he learned about them.

“My thoughts on electric vehicles before the eDrive internship programme was limited but after being exposed, they are a fantastic vehicle that in years to come would really help the economy and environment to strive in a positive way,” Ellington said.