INTERNSHIPS
Reports
Working in Towngas
2017-09-23
梁力瑗
Roxana LEUNG
煤氣公司
Towngas
中山
Zhongshan
Before the start of my internship, I imagined that it would be eight weeks of boring life working alone in a small city. I nevertheless took up the internship because I would like to gain some experience outside Hong Kong. After reporting to Towngas, I started job rotation among the four major divisions under the marketing department, namely, commerce and industry; project marketing; sales; and customer service center. The job rotations allowed me to gain a holistic view of how a company develops and expands its market.
I never thought that working in the marketing department would be so challenging, and required a lot of courage. Riding on a motorcycle was not what I had expected. As Towngas has to provide the best service to customers, riding on a motorcycle is the most efficient way to reach them. Towngas staff do not need to worry about traffic jam as the motorcycle can seep through all the cars and trucks on the road. For a girl who was afraid of high speed and had never ridden a motorcycle before, sitting at the back of the motorcycle for the first time was too scary for me. I put on the helmet and still felt very unprotected. I did not know where I should place my hands. I told my colleague I was ready. Frankly, I was not. However, I pushed my fear aside, remembering the goal of this internship, and stepped out of my comfort zone. I trusted that my colleague would take good care of me, even though it was not an easy decision to make. Finally, I took the ride and it was not as hard and horrible as I had imagined.
Each time I went to work on site, whether it was a real estate or a shop, the first thing my colleague would show me was the position and layout of the gas pipes. This allowed me to have a clear picture of how the gas is being transferred from the intermediate pressure pipelines to the end user, passing through the gas governors and valves.
After working in the marketing department, I was arranged to visit different departments to understand how a project is completed. Amazingly, when I was working at the engineering department during the latter part of my internship. I ran a customer whom I had served before and she even recognized me! I also got chances to visit the construction sites. I never thought I would have such a chance as I am not an engineering student.
After the internship, I gained a full understanding of how Towngas, a company dealing with hazardous material, ensured safe and steady supply of gas. We had often heard of accidents involving explosion in the mainland, yet none of them was related to Towngas. I accompanied my supervisors to test the pressure of the pipes, monitor the machines, set the guidelines for installation and keep precise records. All of these were vital for maintaining safety in a high-risk profession.
The internship at Towngas was an invaluable experience for me. I would not have been able to gain such an experience from academic studies only.
