Engineering Internship Assignment
Date: Jan 20, 2026
Location: Papendrecht, NL
Company: GKN Aerospace Careers
Fantastic challenges. Amazing opportunities.
GKN Aerospace is reimagining air travel: going further, faster and greener! Fuelled by great people whose expertise and creativity sets the standards in our industry, we’re inspired by the opportunities to innovate and break boundaries. We’re proud to play a part in protecting the world’s democracies. And we’re committed to putting sustainability at the centre of everything we do, opening up and protecting our planet. With over 16,000 employees across 33 manufacturing sites in 12 countries we serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers and achieved sales of £3.35 bn.in 2023. There are no limits to where you can take your career.
Company background
The Fokker Elmo Engineering department is comprised of different disciplines in the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS) core business. This internship is related to the EWIS Components & Environmental testing (ECE) discipline of the Fokker Elmo Engineering department.
EWIS Components & Environmental testing (ECE): this discipline is mainly responsible for the (standard) parts, materials and –constructions definition, selection and qualification (testing). This is the most critical for EWIS configurations, in the most demanding environments, such as engines and landing gears.
The term EWIS covers all wiring harnesses (bundles) in a typical aircraft, which perform the function of power- and data transportation in between electrical equipment (from the generation of electrical power up to the individual electrical equipment of the different aircraft systems).
Challenge for the applicant
Fokker Elmo is aiming to characterize pollution levels representative of aerospace environments and to establish a methodology for accurately reproducing these conditions in laboratory tests.
Task Description
Subject: Impact of Pollution Degree on Creepage
Fokker Elmo is one of the pioneers in airborne High Voltage (HV) systems, actively engaged in the development of HV EWIS harness components. One of the primary challenges with HV is managing creepage. Creepage is the shortest distance along the surface of a solid insulation material between two conductive parts and it is a key part of the design of HV devices as ensuring adequate creepage is essential to prevent surface arcing and maintain system safety and reliability.
The IEC 60664-1 standard specifies requirements for creepage when applicable to solid insulation based on equipment performance criteria. However, the standard’s definition of pollution degree remains vague and open to interpretation. Fokker Elmo aims to establish a clear and consistent definition of pollution degree as it relates to creepage design. This definition will subsequently be applied in a to be standardized procedure in laboratory testing to validate creepage performance for HV EWIS solutions. The internship will revolve around the definition of pollution levels, a standardized application method, and verification of the standardized application method
Required Applicant Profile
Education Level: University of Applied Sciences
Type of Internship: Final year assignment
Required Language: English / Dutch; verbal & written
Start date: January/ September
Who we are
Airspace
A leading player in the design, manufacturing and support for the Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems (EWIS) for Aerospace and Defense programs. Their innovative tools and processes support customers and represent a Unique Selling Point.
GKN Aerospace is the world’s leading tier one aerospace supplier of systems and components. With over 15,000 employees across 38 manufacturing sites and 4 Global Technology Centers, they serve over 90% of the world’s aircraft and engine manufacturers with sales of £2.5bn. Fokker Elmo employs >2200 employees worldwide.
Journey
An innovative and international workplace in a company with a rich history in the field of aircraft construction. The company has a passion for technology and their staff is rightly proud of what they develop and build. At Fokker Elmo, you will get every opportunity to build your career and work on your personal development!
How to apply
Please apply online by sending us your CV and motivation letter. Due to data privacy reasons we do not handle any applications sent by email. For additional questions you can contact Glenn Duggert, Talent Acquisition, via glenn.duggert@fokker.com.
We’ll offer you fantastic challenges and amazing opportunities. This is your chance to be part of an organisation that has proven itself to be at the cutting edge of our industry; and is committed to pushing the boundaries even further. And with some of the best training on offer in the industry, who knows how far you can go?
A Great Place to work needs a Great Way of Working
Everyone is welcome to apply to GKN. We believe that we can only achieve our ambitions through a coming together of diverse minds who enjoy collaborating in an inspirational environment. Through our commitment to diversity, inclusion and belonging and by living our five powerful principles we’ve created a culture where everyone feels welcome to contribute. It’s a culture that won us ‘The Best Workplace Culture Award’. By embracing and celebrating what makes us unique we encourage everyone to bring their full self to work.
We’re also committed to providing an accessible recruitment process, so if you require reasonable adjustments at any stage during our recruitment process please get in touch and let us know.
We are the place where human dreams, plus human endeavour, shape the future of aerospace innovation and technology.
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