Ardal was part of our Engineers Placement Initiative for 2 months while studying in his 3rd Year of Electrical Engineering at Munster Technology University.
What are you currently studying?
I am currently studying Electrical Engineering level 8 degree at MTU (Munster Technology University).
What made you choose EDC?
I was looking to join a company that does hands-on in-house work, where I would get to see first-hand the design approach to projects and that is exactly what I got with EDC.
What is your day-to-day routine like?
I was assigned to a Junior Electrical Engineer in the office, Aidan, who made me feel very welcome and always helped me if needed. I would usually be assigned a task, anything from AutoCAD markups to lighting design with Lighting Reality software, to cable sizing with Amtech software, and once completed it would be reviewed by our Electrical Engineering team and any feedback or updates to be carried and given if required. If I ever had a query, someone would always be available to help me understand the issue with a project which gave me the confidence to stretch my skills. During my time with EDC, I was working on three buildings within the Community Nursing Unit pack for the HSE which was a fantastic experience.
What has been a highlight of your time with EDC?
There have been many highlights for me. When I arrived in the Cork office, the team was in the middle of working on a big CNU pack of three nursing homes for the HSE. I was trusted and given the freedom to work on these drawings straight away.
I was working on lighting design and various other drawings such as nurse call markups, fire alarm markups and schematic layouts, to name a few. It gave me great confidence to work on these. If I ever had a query, Associate Director and Team Lead Tom O’Shea or my “placement buddy” Electrical Engineer Aidan were always on-hand to help. The team also included me in staff night outs where we went for bowling, dinner, and golfing, which were great craic!
Where do you see yourself in the future?
I would like to travel and work abroad while I’m young, but I could see myself returning to EDC in the future.
"There have been many highlights for me. When I arrived in the Cork office, the team was in the middle of working on a big CNU pack of three nursing homes for the HSE. I was trusted and given the freedom to work on these drawings straight away."
If you could do any project that your heart desired, what would be your ideal project?
I would love to work with Red Bull Motorsports as an Engineer, especially maybe on the F1 side with the design team, with electrical control or circuit design.
What key learnings will you take away from EDC for your future career?
The main thing that I have seen that I never realised was the amount of work that goes into designing a building. Working in the cork office, I got to see the electrical, mechanical and BIM (Building Information Modelling) sides of building designs. I have realised that engineering is not only about the design itself but how it fits in the larger ecosystem of a project. I have also learnt the importance of communicating effectively with all the design teams involved to ensure a smooth, cohesive project.
I have also learned a lot about how a modern-day progressive company works, with the pricing of projects and the monthly update meetings over teams. I got to see first-hand the work and state of the art systems required at the back end of a project to ensure clean, real-time data sharing within the EDC design team and the wider design team.
If you were to describe EDC and your time with EDC in 3 words, what would they be?
Constructive, Welcoming, Positive.
