MEET THE TRAINEES
Sometimes, or actually most of the times, it’s nice to get an idea of what you are going into. We’ve made it possible for you to meet previous trainees at Nordic Folkecenter.
Meet previous trainees at our YouTube channel and get inspired for a trainee period at Nordic Folkecenter.
Or read some interviews with previous trainees below.
Karla Fernanda Arias Muñoz
Age: 21 | Country: Colombia| Education: Chemical Engineer | Period in FC: 15 January – 8 April 2023
Karla, 21 years old, is a Chemical Engineer who recently graduated from the Universidad de la Sabana, so her stay in Folkecenter was not part of her education, like for many of the other trainees. Instead, she joined us as part of a “self-development program”: after graduating, she was not sure what to do and how to continue her career, so she decided to take a break and explore the world; as part of this exploration was the trainee program, which caught her attention and which gave her the option to answer to the question she had in mind: “Is renewable energy something I want to work with?”. So, she decided to join us and to stay in Folkecenter approximately three months (January-April).
From the beginning of her internship it was clear what she wanted to focus on: biogas, which is also logic, given her background; more in detail, she investigated how to work with biogas in cold temperatures. Furthermore, as we always encourage students to try also things practically, she also built a small prototype of a biogas installation.
Besides her project, Karla was also active in helping the other students with their tasks, which helped her in better understand the renewable energy world as an ecosystem. This sharing experience was very important for her and she defined the atmosphere “Friendly and helpful”; when talking about Folkecenter, she says “They really try to make you part of the family, so that you can feel comfortable in the place. Most of the trainees are from far away, so this is very nice, because you feel in company with someone”.
Karla seems to be quite satisfied by the experience and she liked a lot the dynamicity of the environment: “Despite being away from everything, you never get bored”, she says, “There is always something that keeps you moving. And then, of course, there is Windy (our dog), who is always ready to cheer you up!”
The best memory that she has from this period is when, together with the other trainees, she helped Gitte (our sustainability coordinator) to move to her new house, where they were afterwards invited to celebrate Easter together. “Helping friends to move is something that we always do in Colombia, so it felt like being home”, she says.
To answer to the original question on whether or not renewables were for her, she comments: “Basically, I leaned that I like it and that I like everything related to renewable energy; I am now looking for a master on biogas, which is the topic that most interests me and I think that I would really like to work in investigation and testing of new solutions!”.
We are glad that we could inspire you and we wish you the best for your career!
Rasmus Nørbæk Krag
Age: 26 | Country: Denmark | Education: Global Business Engineering | Period in FC: 1 February 2022 – 7 Juli 2022
Rasmus just finished his internship few days ago and, after the holidays, he will go back at the VIA University College (DK) and complete his degree on Global Business Engineering.
When he came to Folkecenter, Rasmus had a broad interest in renewables, with energy efficiency being the focus. In general, he wanted to understand how to make the industry run on clean energy; this meant that he got involved in a number of project, focusing on different topics: “My very first project was about aeroponics, but then I scrapped that, as I realized I was not very interested. Instead, my main project became to create energy from human motion and store it.”
On top of that, Rasmus was also involved in the installation of the solar-battery system for the tiny house, and in replacing the batteries of the straw-bale house. “I was also helping Daniele Pagani in the marketing part and in meetings for projects, which was very interesting for me, because I could get an insight also on project management.”
A broad understanding of renewable energies
By being in Folkecenter, Rasmus achieved his goal of getting a broad understanding of renewables, but also to self-manage the time: “Once I got stuck for a month on a problem of the project and after that I learned to decide when it’s the right moment to move on and leave the issue behind” he explains, “and I will take this learning with me when working on larger projects.”
Overall, he liked a lot the atmosphere, which he defined loose, in contrast with the one of many companies, where there are a lot of deadlines; “In companies you work for them, here you work for yourself” he says. “I also liked the possibility of interacting with so many countries and I am very thankful of that!”
On the question whether he would recommend Folkecenter to fellow students, he answers: “Yeah, but I would also say that they should know how work independently and be curious enough to search information and solutions by yourself. You can get it here, but you need to be proactive, because you are working on your own project”.
A funny episode during his internship? “Actually I have two”, he says, “The first was trying to explain to the internationals why are shops closing so early in Denmark and the concept of work-life balance…it was funny to see that they could understand it! The second was when I found out that Elon Musk was here…at first I didn’t believe it!”
We are happy you enjoyed your internship Rasmus! Best of luck for your career!
Jens Erik Helbo Andersen
Age: 42 | Country: Denmark | Education: AP Graduate in Energy Technology | Period in FC: 11 January 2022 – 11 March 2022
Educated as Energiteknolog (AP Graduate in Energy Technology) from the EA Dania institute in Randers (DK), Jens Erik came to us as part of his education: «I could have gone to a firm and sit and do calculations on energy consumption in houses», says, «but it’s not the future. On the other hand, here we work with PV panels and wind, and that’s the future! ». His interest for Folkecenter started during a guided tour organized by the school at our facilities: here he had the chance to talk to our director, Jane, who explained him about our projects and activities; he got fascinated and wanted to part of it, so he applied for an internship.
Normally our trainees are aged between the early twenties and the thirties: this was not the case of Jens Erik, who is 42, but not because of that is less youthful than the others!
Educated as Energiteknolog (energy technician) from the EA Dania institute in Randers (DK), Jens Erik came to us as part of his education: «I could have gone to a firm and sit and do calculations on energy consumption in houses”», says, «but it’s not the future. On the other hand, here we work with PV panels and wind, and that’s the future! ». His interest for Folkecenter started during a guided tour organized by the school at our facilities: here he had the chance to talk to our director, Jane, who explained him about our projects and activities; he got fascinated and wanted to part of it, so he applied for an internship.
As you can imagine, Jens Erik is not just coming out of school, but he has several years or working experience within renewable energies, especially with PVs, thanks to which he spent a period of his life working in Vietnam. PVs (and storage) were therefore his main interest, but it was not the topic he worked on in Folkecenter
At first, he wanted to dedicate his efforts to work on the Biodome, but that was not approved by his supervisor, as not sufficiently relevant for his education; he therefore moved to wave energy and he was very happy of that, as he himself mentions: «I am glad to have worked on that, because normally there is not much access to this technology». Instead, in Folkecenter Jens Erik could work with a wave energy developer and could get an understanding on how prototyping in this sector works.
His main tasks were to build working generators, so that the prototype could be tested in-house, and to get in contact with Energinet (the Danish TSO), so that the design of the prototype could match the requirements of the grid. The concept he worked on is aimed at being integrated with existing installations, so it was very important to have confrontations with the relevant authorities.
«I have learned a lot during this process», he explains «and it was really interesting to work on a pilot project: it is a challenging process and sometimes it is difficult to know what to share with investors and technical experts, as you are always afraid they will steal your idea!»
Jens Erik also learned a lot from the international environment: despite having worked abroad, he was not much familiar with the cultures present in Folkecenter and with the different working habits across the world: «At the beginning it was challenging, because we had different ways of working, but then everything went into place and I have now a better understanding of the Latin-American culture, which will be very useful should I work with those countries again».
He was also very satisfied of the atmosphere found in Folkecenter: «It was perfect: an absolutely great atmosphere! When I came there were three trainees at the end of their internship and we did not socialize much, but then the people from Chile and Colombia came and it just exploded! And Jane is the best! She is so sweet and kind and she has a lot of knowledge, which she is happy to share, as long as you are interested in listening. Tonny and Anker also have a lot of knowledge and they are always happy to help. So yeah, it’s been a really great stay! »
To the question on what he liked most, Jens Erik answers «Everything. There has been nothing that annoyed me. I liked that we did the food rotation and it is a good way to bind. I enjoyed my stay; I only would have preferred to be here in summer to see the production of the PV panels».
So, is an internship in Folkecenter to be recommended? «Yeah» he says «but it is not for everybody. I don’t think some of my friends would have been interested in being here, because of different energy interest. Still, there is a lot that can be done here: it’s more or less the imagination that can drive you. And if you are lucky, you can also work with inventors and developers. You have a lot of pioneers up here, so you have the chance to learn hands-on; maybe in five years you can say “I worked on that idea and it actually works!” You can be part of projects for other Countries (Mali, Uganda), make a small lighting system and have it running on small battery, or other ideas; if you can also accept when people criticizes your ideas, than this is the place for you. It is for creative minds. The sociality up here has been awesome».
Thank you very much Jens Erik for your positive feedback and for your stay in Folkecenter! We hope to see you soon and good luck with your career!
Chrysa Zioga
Age: 24 | Country: Greece | Education: Electric & Computer Engineering | Period in FC: 01 October 2020 – 31 January 2021
«I got across your website and the first caption was “Working for a world running on 100% renewables”: that sentence really talked to my heart!» she says. «Reading through the website» she continues «I imagined Folkecenter as big playground for renewables, where I could experience different technologies and learn things which could help me in my future career. So I applied!»
Still, the decision was not easy, as she explains: «When I got accepted I was excited, but also terrified: joining Folkecenter would have been a whole package of new experiences, outside my comfort zone, but it would have also been the chance to do something that I would otherwise not have done. So I took courage and I confirmed my application».
Chrysa’s had a general interest on methods to produce green electricity both on small and large scale; in the specific, she was interested in solar energy and in storage technologies.
The Corona restrictions forced her to delay her internship, but when she finally arrived to Folkecenter she had the chance to work directly in those topics she was interested on: her main project consisted in developing and building a solar power bank, which could be used for the “More Light! Project” ran by Folkecenter. It was not an easy task, though: «I had to make something that worked in the real world, not only in theory. And guess what? At first it didn’t work! I had to choose the appropriate materials and be patient with welding and wood working – and for some of these activities it was my first time».
Despite some challenges, she managed to succeed and she constructed a working prototype with very few components, keeping in mind that the whole concept was meant for developing countries. The process is now described in her report, so that anyone can replicate it.
Besides that, she also made a desk research on Building Integrated Photovoltaics and she started to design the electrical system of the tiny house.
When asking her about the atmosphere in Folkecenter, she says: «It was a big surprise – a good surprise. I am a quite close person, so I was very anxious about living in a place like that. Nevertheless, after some time it felt like home: a big family where everyone is doing their part, but at the same time where everyone is working towards a common goal. I don’t know if it was the people, the place, or the conditions, but it was a nice feeling to be there: that feeling that you cannot express in words, but that you keep on looking again and again in life».
Chrysa liked a lot also the practical activities happening in Folkecenter: she joined the “Build your own Tiny House” workshops and she liked them so much that now she is trying to convince her grandparents to build a tiny house on a land they own.
Now it is a while that she is out of Folkecenter and, being back to a big city, she misses the tranquility of the countryside; she also misses cooking for 10 people and having dinner all together, one of the things that most trainees enjoy while being in Folkecenter.
Overall, it seems Chrysa had a good experience in Folkecenter, as it is testified by her words: «I have already persuaded two friends to get an Erasmus internship there and I am also trying to convince my brothers. I definitively recommend Folkecenter to everyone»!
Thank you for being with us Chrysa! Best of luck with your career and, do not forget: you are always welcome to Folkecenter!
Sebastian Salcebo Alba
Age: 27 | Country: Colombia | Education: Mechanical & Civil Engineering | Period in FC: 16 January 2020 – 13 January 2021
Originally from Colombia, Sebastian (27) is educated as a Mechanical and Civil Engineer from the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota and he came to Denmark as part of the AFS Intercultural Programs, a program which allows young people to travel around the world and to live in a foreign country for a period of time. Folkecenter collaborates since long time with AFS and we often get trainees from Latin America.
Each trainee has its own motivation to travel and, in the case of Sebastian, it was a chance to improve his English knowledge (already very good!), but also to improve himself both professionally and socially; else said, he wanted to take some time to work on himself, but he was challenged by the fact that often these breaks are badly seen from the society, mainly because they create a “hole” in the CV, which for young people can represent a challenge. This is the reason why he decided to select Folkecenter: he could have an international experience and, at the same time, he could get new knowledge on topics which will help him in his future career.
Once made the decision, it took some time to do all the paperwork, but finally, in mid-January 2020 he could reach Folkecenter.
Before coming to Denmark Sebastian did not know much about energy and his idea was to get more familiar with the different technologies on a more technical (and detailed) way. Nevertheless, this idea changed once he got involved in Folkecenter life, moving his interest on the more “anthropologic” part of energy, meaning that he focused more on understanding the working principles of the technologies and the impacts that these can have on the society.
Following this line, one of his main tasks was to work in group with the other trainees and to perform an analysis on how could Colombia switch to renewable energy, project which he really enjoyed.
Besides this more theoretical work, Sebastian was also involved in several practical tasks, with which he discovered that he can do things and that he can work with tools; the most challenging project was to design and install a PV system, task for which he was responsible for the whole process. This was challenging, but at the same time very motivating, because he had to solve challenges which he did not expect and, therefore, the learning outcome was high. From this newsletter on, we will include also the statistics of the PV plant he installed, so that he can keep track of his “baby”.
Another task he liked a lot was to be part of the Tiny House construction group: “I liked the dynamics” he says “and you could feel the energy in the process…you could feel completely involved in the task!”.