July 6th, 2022 – At the end of June 2022, Lucas Bersegol, a French sales intern was selected to participate in “Sail For Competence”, a dedicated event for interns and apprentices, in which they had the chance to sail from Germany to Denmark for 1 week. We discover his one-week journey and how it helped him to shape his view as an intern at Airbus.
Please introduce yourself and describe your main missions in your internship
My name is Lucas Bersegol, an intern at Airbus Defence and Space within Secure Communications. I’m an assistant campaign manager and my key role is to prepare technical and commercial aspects of responses to calls for tenders, as well as many other projects
I decided to apply for an internship at Airbus Defence and Space as I have always been interested in the Defence and Aerospace sector. Before joining Airbus, I undertook a four-year study at the Toulouse School of Management, then decided to study a masters in International Business Management at Panthéon-Sorbonne University.
How did you get to know about Sail 4 Competences?
This opportunity is only dedicated to interns and apprentices within Airbus Defence and Space, based in France, United Kingdom, Spain and Germany. With only 5 interns or trainees selected per country.
I was sent an email inviting me to send an application to participate. All applications must contain a short video of us introducing ourselves and showing our originality and motivation as well as our resume.
At the beginning, I hesitated to apply as I was not sure if I would be selected. I talked with a colleague, sharing my perception and my concern, and thanks to his recommendation and stories about his past as a navy veteran, I was determined to send my application and get selected, which I do not regret.
The cross-cultural and international aspect attracted me, as being in a big company, Airbus gives us the chance to meet people coming from everywhere in the world with many different cultures.
While sailing, did you face some difficulties or were you at ease?
Throughout the whole journey, we were fully immerged in the sailor's everydays duties. The biggest difficulty I had faced was tiredness as we didn’t get to sleep a lot. We were truly out of our comfort zone.
To organize ourselves, we were separated in 3 groups and each group was assigned to different tasks such as keeping day and night watch, cooking, cleaning the hull, hoisting the mainsail, and to drop or raise the anchor etc.
Since I was younger, I have always been interested in sailing. When I was 8 years old I sailed a catamaran with my brother. Although they are very different, I recognized similar sailing basics and ‘jargon’ such as knots, the sails, and the rudder which helped.
It was also easy to communicate with others as I am bilingual in French and in English. (English on my mothers side)
- How did you feel after coming back from this surreal experience?
I realize that I spent a unreal week, completely out of this world. I felt nostalgic with many great memories and made some new friends sharing all the same passion.
Which skills have you learned or improved onboard which can be professionally or personally useful?
Onboard, all Airbus values were found as well as skills that are useful in my daily tasks both professionally and personally. Teamwork is the value that comes back the most. To navigate properly, the whole crew had to be synchronized and involved by communicating regularly with others. Without communication, there would be no cohesion within the group and no efficiency. For example, to raise the anchor, we needed a team of 6 people to push the capstan. We all had to be synchronized to be as efficient and quick as possible
Everyone was respected, open-minded and without prejudice, as we lived for a week very close to each other, in the middle of nowhere, and the sea surrounding us.
- Will you recommend this experience to someone else?
Definitely, it’s a one-time opportunity as it is only for interns and trainees. I learned a lot throughout that incredible journey. We created some unbelievable bonds and became a really close group.
I recommend Sail 4 Competence for anyone who wants to step out of there comfort zone and is eager to meet the unknown.
Of course, by participating on that journey, you need to be curious, open-minded, not afraid to apply,enjoy every moment onboard and be ready to eat deli meats every day.
Should the opportunity arise, I would definitely apply again!
To finish, if you have to describe Sail 4 Competence in one sentence.
"An unforgettable opportunity, out of this world"
Do you want to know more ? Contact us !