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Lucy Stephen’s feedback about RIIERP

Lucy Stephen
Lucy Stephen
Lucy Stephen
Lucy Stephen

Bachelor of Business (Marketing)
2010: Siemens AG, Mülheim (Germany)

I recently graduated with a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) at RMIT University in Melbourne, and currently undertaking a RIIERP internship within Siemens AG, Energy Sector, Business Excellence division in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.

The team I work with focuses on Continuous Improvement activities with Siemens Energy. Our role is to ensure that engineers within management level are trained and equipped with Lean and Six Sigma knowledge and are able to effectively apply these methodologies within their respective work groups. This ultimately leads to ensuring we have a workforce that is both efficient and effective across the entire value chain of the business. My role in this has been in supporting our group by developing appropriate marketing communications materials, training materials (in consultation with Lean and Six Sigma experts), internal communications handbooks, e-newsletters and maintaining our online training tool.

My RIIERP experience so far has been invaluable both professionally and personally. Professionally it has encouraged me to develop strong interpersonal skills resulting in me being able to effectively contribute to high level meetings and strategic planning sessions. It has provided me with a broad overview of various business segments within the Engineering industry and enabled me to effectively apply my marketing communications skills to engineering products and services. In addition to this I have gained an understanding of Lean and Six Sigma methodologies which are a useful skill set that can be transferable to any given industry or workplace. Working for a multinational organisation has broadened my views of various cultural norms when dealing with colleagues across the globe. Personally, it has been amazing experiencing new cultures, food, places, people, sights and sounds. Learning a new language is both challenging and rewarding. The fact that I am able to travel to a new country or destination almost every weekend is simply thrilling and exciting!

I would highly recommend participating in RIIERP as it enables you to grow both professionally and personally. There is a world of opportunities that arise from having undertaken such an experience!

A typical working day

Lucy Stephen describes a typical day at work.

6.30 am

Wake up (more like struggle to crawl out of bed) and get ready for work!

8 am

Walk to the train station to catch the 8:15 train into work

8.45 am

Arrive at work, start up my laptop, set up my work desk for the day

9 am

Respond to email enquiries regarding online training registration

Check through list of tasks to be completed within the day and status of any on-going projects(s)

9.30 am

Brief chat with my manager regarding existing and up-coming tasks

9.35/40 am

Back to working on my tasks/projects

  • Update online training registration website with new information or remove expired training sessions
  • Work on my existing projects – organisational handbook and interactive presentation
  • Research materials to include in training presentation slides
  • Check and edit LEAN/Six Sigma training slides communications and branding

11.45 am

Leave the office at precisely 11:45am for a five minute walk to the canteen because my German colleagues prefer to have an early lunch.

On the way to and from lunch we greet almost every person we pass with ‘Mahlzeit’ (literal translation means ‘meal time’)… during lunch I attempt at practicing my non-existent German with my colleagues who keep practicing their English with me!

12.30 pm

Finish lunch and start a 10minute walk, taking a longer route back to the office given we have just had a dinner meal for lunch.

12.40 pm

Walk up to level 2 of our building for much needed caffeine fix prior to going back to our desk

12.50 pm

Back to work

4 pm

Teleconference meeting with our North American team on existing projects/tasks, scheduled training, upcoming training/projects

5 pm

Depart the office and catch the 5:14 bus to the train station…

6 pm

Depending on the day I go for a run, gym, water skiing or German class…’egal!’ (simply means ‘whatever’ in German)

Unless of course if it is a Friday… I am possibly on the train or about to board the next flight to Spain, Italy, Croatia, Prague, Vienna or hitting the Autobahn with friends exploring castles, paragliding/skiing in the Alps or beer tasting through Germany…

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