Fhaad Lockhat

What motivated you to apply for Co-op/Internship

I wanted to get experience in a fast-paced environment.

Can you describe your position in a few sentences?

I am an intern on the quality engineering team at Gigafactory 1 in Nevada, where my role is to help address the day to day quality of the stator line. This includes designing tools that employees can use to help improve the quality of stators, develop validation methods for equipment on the stator line to ensure parts are coming out with the highest quality that Tesla demands, and more.

Did you receive training to perform your engineering duties? Please Explain.

You are treated like a full-time staff person which gives you a lot of freedom, but that also requires high standards and a lot of self-learning. Everyone who works there is very nice and is excited to help interns get accustomed to the work environment.

What was your work atmosphere like? (flexibility, formality, team-centric, supportive)

It is flexible and a friendly environment, a lot of independent work but several team meetings to encourage collaboration and ensure everyone is up to speed.

What new skills were you able to learn/develop during your Co-op/Internship?

I developed my CAD, statistics, designing for additive manufacturing skills and knowledge.

How did your experience compare with your expectations?

My experience has been beyond my expectations, interns have the freedom to figure out what tasks or projects need to be done and can do it themselves, you really feel like you're one of the full-time employees rather than an intern or student.

What was your proudest moment? 

Designing and testing tools that associates use on the line was my proudest moment.

What advice would you offer to current students thinking about pursuing Co-op/Internship?

Get involved with student engineering teams, work hard on those teams and don't be afraid to take on leadership roles at school. You'll gain experiences that employers know are more valuable than GPA. You'll also make new friends that will help you get placements in a company if they've already worked there. Also, don't join teams for just the resume, take advantage of those opportunities available in school, like the Ontario Tech Racing team, by putting in the time and effort while also making new friends.