Engineering Internship Programmes

Spend time with one of South Africa’s leading engineering firms and gain valuable hands on experience in civil, mechanical, telecommunications, industrial, energy, chemical or electrical engineering. Our engineering internships provide you with the opportunity to apply your classroom taught knowledge to real life situations whilst building a professional portfolio of work.

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Engineering internships - quick video overview
The best Engineering Internship Programmes in Africa?

The best engineering internships in Cape Town? We think so. We pride ourselves on delivering customised internship placements and on the ground support that offer life-changing, valuable professional experiences.

We collaborate with some of the leading engineering firms in South Africa, and can facilitate opportunities in a number of areas: civil, mechanical, industrial, chemical or electrical engineering.

Our internship programme enables you to gain valuable on the job experience, build up professional work samples for your CV, explore your personal interests and strengths and gain an understanding of your industry in an international setting.

Completing an engineering internship with Bridging Gaps will also help narrow your focus and advise you about the context of your career, which is important in such a broad field.

Read on for a full overview of the best engineering internships in Africa.

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KEY INSIGHT

Engineering Internship Programme Overview

Here's what you can expect from the programme in a nutshell!

Engineering Internship Key Skills:

  • Technical knowledge
  • Teamwork
  • Analytical skills
  • Creative thinking
  • Attention to detail
  • Computer modelling
  • Communication
  • Organisation

Academic & Career Benefits

  • Gain practical work experience in a professional environment.
  • Enhance your CV with impressive international experience.
  • Apply your classroom taught knowledge to real life situations.
  • Build up professional samples of work to add to your CV.
  • Work in one of South Africa’s leading engineering firms.
  • Learn from knowledgeable and experienced professionals in your field.

Ideal Internship Applicant

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Proficient in English.
  • Either currently studying or have been accepted to study a field of engineering at university.
  • Creative thinker

Programme highlights:

  • Gain professional work experience in one of South Africa’s leading engineering firms.
  • Add impressive industry related skills to your CV and stand out from the crowd in future job interviews.
  • Work alongside highly accomplished professionals in your field.
  • Explore your passions and strengths and make more informed career decisions.
  • Have an unforgettable experience of a life time!

Minimum Requirements

  • Minimum age: 18
  • Completed (or will have completed) A2-Levels or equivalent
  • Minimum of 4 weeks duration, no maximum
  • Not a resident of South Africa

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KEY INSIGHT

Skills you'll hone through your Engineering internship

Of course, the list is much longer - but these are the skills our intern alumni reported back that they grew in the most!

Creative thinking
Teamwork
Attention to detail
Analytical skills
Communication
Organization skills
Computer modelling
IT and technical skills

Ready?

Turbo charge your career in Engineering

What are you waiting for - get started now!

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KEY INSIGHT

Engineering internship programme reviews & ratings

We managed to grab some detailed interviews from previous interns on this programme, you can click on them below.

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I think how quickly and easy it was to get the internship. I was very busy and stressed with exams, and all I had to do was send over 3 documents and Lucie just took it from there! And another best feature is the amount of contact and support you have here, The weekly whatsapp messages just checking in to see how I was doing, and that kind of support you give the interns. I know it’s in your company values and you really follow them!
Chloe Leger
Post Graduate
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KEY INSIGHT

A hypothetical Engineering Internship Programme

What might your programme in this career field look like? Here's how it has typically shaped up for our alumni!

Week One

Arrival & orientation. Introduction to Cape Town, your accommodation and your internship host organisation and colleagues.

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Internship Programmes South Africa - Hypothetical week 1
Internship Programmes South Africa - Hypothetical week 2
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Week Two

Get stuck into your engineering internship placement and establish yourself with your organisation. Come to our free social events.

Week Three

Enjoy a great work-life balance, getting out and about to see the sites alongside working hard on your internship.

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Internship Programmes South Africa - Hypothetical week 3
Internship Programmes South Africa - Hypothetical week 4
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Week Four

Pick up more responsibility in your internship as you prove your capability. Enjoy regular activities in Cape Town outside of work. Come to another social!

Week Five

Now you're flying (metaphorically) at work, you'll be more and more autonomous. Expect to pick up even more challenges!

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Week Six

Internship is going swimmingly, now go and do something crazy like swimming with some great white sharks or abseiling off of a mountain.

Week Seven

Regularly enjoy the benefits of Cape Town and at work, gather materials needed for portfolio (e.g. references from us and provider).

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Week Eight

Putting the finishing touches to your internship and gathering feedback from us and your internship provider for use in your academic / career portfolio. Finalise paperwork for university (if needed)

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Download and read a free guide.

13 Essential Insights for a Fulfilling and Safe Internship in Cape Town

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KEY INSIGHT

Engineering internship programme features

What makes our internship programmes a worthwhile investment? Here's a swift overview of what you can expect!

Choice of two programmes

We have two primary programmes to suit your needs. In some instances we also offer virtual placements.

Unlimited duration as standard

You can come for as long as you need without paying any extra fees.You'll receive the same level of support.

Backed by concrete promises

We are 100% on your side. We guarantee every aspect of your trip with unrivalled promises.

Career
Focus

Need to focus on a precise niche or two? No problem! Your programme can focus on your specialist areas.

Immersive cultural experience

We'll help you engage with the culture and personal benefits of being in a foreign country.

Virtual placements

Save on travel and accommodation costs, pay a far lower fee. All while building your professional network.

Academia friendly

We will handle all aspects of academic accreditation, including direct liaison with your tutors and academic staff.

Future career friendly

We will write full reference letters for your placement(s) to optimise future employers' first impression of you.

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Current Engineering Job Openings

Here are some current or recent internship job opportunities in this career area. We do not publish all openings - so please contact us to hear about others.

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Explore your custom Engineering programme now

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KEY INSIGHT

A straightforward process

We have worked very hard to streamline our process to make your experience easy, fun and highly rewarding personally and professionally. Flick through the steps below, or read about our process in more detail.

Introduce yourself to our friendly team

Getting your dream internship all starts with you saying hello! Just pop your details into our enquiry form and we'll reach out to schedule a conversation with you that we call a 'discovery call'.

Ask questions & learn how we can help

In your discovery call, you can ask us any questions you still have. We'll talk about your options in the career fields you've told us you're interested in to help you imagine your placement and decide if our service is right for you.

Complete your programme application

If everything sounds good to you, complete your application to put into words your dream programme. This forms the basis of the 'design' of your customised placement and will be the primary framework against which we validate potentially suitable opportunities.

We'll source you the best opportunities

We maintain a large and varied network of the best organisations in Cape Town. We will identify the best potential fits for your programme goals and preferences and reach out on your behalf to assess those organisations for suitability (learn about their current projects and initiatives).

Prepare and plan for your experience

Once you've confirmed which placement offer you prefer, we'll start helping you plan the rest of your trip. We'll book your accommodation, help with your travel arrangements and provide extensive advice and information on how to get ready for your time in Cape Town. Your Bridging Gaps mentor will be on hand to make sure you're fully prepared for your placement.

Maximise your experience & learning

Finally, every member of our team will move mountains to make sure you get what you came for and MORE! It's essential to us that you're safe, you're learning and growing in confidence and developing the most important skills for your future career.

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KEY INSIGHT

Engineering internship programme cost

Our programme fees are shown below, for a full description of our service offering please click to view the programme or a side-to-side comparison.

Bootstrap

£
795
one-off, fixed

Bespoke programme

Backed by 4
concrete promises

VIEW BOOTSTRAP

Concierge

£
1195
one-off, fixed

Comprehensive support

Visa & travel assist

Accommodation assistance

Social events & excursions

... and lots more

VIEW CONCIERGE

Virtual

£
395
one-off, fixed

Tailored Search

Ongoing support
& mentoring

VIEW VIRTUAL
Click to see detailed programme feature comparison.
FAQ
Engineering Internship Programmes FAQs

We've answered some specific questions about this internship programme below.

What jobs can industrial engineers get?

Jobs within the industrial engineering field include opportunities in the following sectors; logistics, mining, food and beverage, manufacturing, agriculture, consulting, pharmaceuticals and many others. 


How much do electrical engineer interns make?

Since South African law prohibits any foreign nationals from doing any form of paid work in the country without a valid working visa, all the internship opportunities for international visitors are unpaid. Local South African's can get paid for an internship but paid opportunities are difficult to find. A lot of companies offer a small stipend to cover travel and other costs. The wage that electrical engineering interns can expect to earn in other countries very much depends on the location and type of company they work for. Electrical engineer interns will generally be offered a higher wage in places where the cost of living is higher. 


What is the best internship for mechanical engineering students?

Within the field of mechanical engineering, it's possible to get an internship in a variety of industries including; automotive manufacturing, construction, metals and materials, scientific research, computer and electronic manufacturing, aerospace and more. The best internship for you is determined by your specific interests, career goals, strengths and previous experience.


What percentage of engineering students get internships?

This depends on a number of factors including the country in question, the field of engineering,and the academic level of the candidates. It can be difficult to secure an internship in certain fields such as aerospace engineering, however, there are a lot of internship opportunities within mechanical, chemical, industrial, electrical and civil engineering. Most of the companies we work with here in South Africa are happy to offer an intern a placement if they have completed at least one year of study in their respective field. 


How much do engineering interns make an hour?

Since South African law prohibits any foreign nationals from doing any form of paid work in the country without a valid working visa, all engineering internship opportunities for international visitors are unpaid. Local South African's can get paid for an internship, however paid opportunities are difficult to find. A lot of companies offer a small stipend to cover travel and other costs. The wage that engineering interns can expect to earn in other countries very much depends on their location and the field of engineering. Opportunities in petroleum and aerospace engineering tend to offer some of the highest salaries. 


How long is an engineering internship?

Our engineering internships are a minimum of two weeks, however we suggest at least four weeks or more to give you the necessary time to get involved with the company's projects and gain more confidence in your work.


What is the highest paying job in science?

There are a lot of different possible careers in science. Some of the highest-earning positions in science include; physicists, astronomers, pharmacists, geoscientists, biochemists and medical scientists. Chemical and nuclear engineering are also lucrative career paths. 


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Engineering Internship Programmes

Hi, we're really sorry but we are no longer offering internship opportunities in this career field. However, we wish you the best with your search.