Interview with a former student

Umair Ahmad and Oksana Pinsker are studying a two-year international Master’s program at Högskolan Väst, Trollhättan, in Work-Integrated Learning with a specialization in political studies. During the second semester of their first year, they completed their internship at GARO.

Tell us about your education 

We study at Högskolan Väst, Trollhättan, which is the leading university for Work Integrated Learning (WIL). The program prepares students for professional work across cultural and natural borders to develop and implement projects oriented for societal change. Our core focus is learning how to bridge the gap between academic theory and practical, high-level corporate environments. 

Why did you apply for an internship at GARO? 

We were excited and highly motivated to apply for an internship at this company that develops and manufactures innovative products and systems for the electrical installation market. Furthermore, GARO operates in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Ireland, Poland, and the United Kingdom. We considered this internship as a great opportunity for our learning and future career development, allowing us to apply our studies to a cross-border corporate landscape. 

What did you do during your internship at GARO? 

Our internship took place online and focused on a major project: EU Product Compliance & Declaration of Conformity (DoC) Governance at GARO. Our research involved auditing technical files against international standards, mapping PDM systems to identify document control and technical ownership, and designing optimized evidence workflows. A major practical outcome of this was communicating directly with international suppliers, organizing critical compliance data into GARO’s central database, and developing a Unified Verification Log framework designed to streamline compliance tracking. 

What was the most enjoyable part of your internship? 

The most rewarding aspect was having the opportunity to brainstorm and execute duties that gave us the feeling of intellectual fulfillment and practice in real-world situations. It was a pleasure to meet with Sustainability Manager, Andreas Olsson and the wider team. The internship was exceptionally well balanced and supported by our theoretical knowledge, regular meetings with Andreas, and workshops at the University. 

What will you take with you from this collaboration into your future working life? 

The most valuable takeaway is the practical experience of navigating complex European regulatory frameworks and translating them into actionable corporate strategies. Developing the Unified Verification Log framework taught us how to translate macro-level political directives into scalable compliance models. Furthermore, driving communications with a vast network of international suppliers gave us immense confidence in our ability to manage cross-border projects. We are taking away a deep, hands-on understanding of how global compliance directly shapes successful business operations. 

Did the internship meet your expectations? 

Yes, it was incredibly useful and dynamic. We were thrilled to be a part of a big team located in different countries, and we could always receive constructive feedback and support from our host supervisor. Because the internship was entirely remote, it also provided a unique and vital lifeline. As Oksana shares:  

“I am Ukrainian, I stay in my country. I am grateful for this possibility to learn even in such dark times and overcome challenges such as long winter blackouts and war dangers having support from Andreas and Umair. It was an inspiring experience!”