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Learning, making and contributing: interning at Spark
An internship at Spark is anything but standard. From day one, you become a full member of the team: you won’t be stuck with typical intern tasks, but take on real responsibility. Whether you’re building test setups, creating prototypes, or analyzing data, you work on projects that truly matter.
Three interns who started in September share what it’s like to learn and work at Spark:
Liv Vegter (20, Industriëel Product Ontwerpen, Rotterdam)
Folkert Joosten (25, Technical Medicine, Delft)
Françoise Keune (26, Technical Medicine, Delft)
Where knowledge and creativity meet
What connects Folkert and Françoise is their curiosity at the intersection of technology, design, and medicine. Françoise says:
"I’ve always been torn between Industrial Design and Medicine. Here, it comes together perfectly: applying medical knowledge in product development."
For Folkert, this was also the main draw:
"After my internships in the hospital, I wanted something more hands-on. Here I learn how an idea is transformed into something tangible, and that is incredibly educational."
Liv got in touch with Spark through her studies:
"Two people from Spark came to our school to talk about their work, and it really impressed me. It seemed like a place where I could learn a lot about the field, and that has been true."
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An internship where you really make things
Liv and Folkert build test setups and prototypes together. Liv explains:
"We do a lot of drilling, sawing, gluing. Sometimes it’s just the two of us making a model, and then we test immediately if it works. I love quickly building something, trying it out, and improving it. Making prototypes is a great complement to sketching and working in SolidWorks, it brings your ideas to life fast."
Folkert adds:
"I do a lot of measurements in the climate chamber, analyze data, and also help make prototypes. I enjoy that variety. At the hospital where I previously interned, everything was very rigid. Here you can work on multiple projects at the same time."
Françoise also finds the hands-on experience refreshing:
"I work a lot with Photoshop, Illustrator, and SolidWorks. Some days I design a logo, other days I’m in the workshop tinkering with a prototype. That mix of creative and technical work suits me well."
A motivating atmosphere
All three mention the atmosphere as one of Spark’s defining features.
Liv:
"Everyone is open and enthusiastic. You can approach anyone, and people really take the time to explain things. You get to work on what actually matters."
Folkert:
"It felt good from the start. Your opinion is taken seriously; you’re not dismissed as just an intern. That makes you enjoy coming to work."
Françoise agrees:
"I ask a lot of questions, and that’s completely fine here. People actually enjoy it when you contribute your ideas."
This approachable culture is typical of Spark. The atmosphere is professional yet relaxed, from brainstorming sessions to table tennis matches during breaks. Liv laughs:
"Everyone is enthusiastic, at work, but also at table football."
Learning by doing
At Spark, interns don’t just learn about design, they learn about themselves.
Liv:
"I wanted to discover what kind of designer I really am. I move quickly through my studies, but here I learn what it means to actually create and apply ideas."
Folkert:
"I’m learning not just to think of ideas, but to execute them. Building something, testing it, adjusting it, that practical process is exactly what I was looking for."
Françoise:
"I want to become more skilled in the design process: brainstorming, sketching, improving. And I want to find out if medical product development is the career path for me. So far, I think yes."
Inspiration
The three interns are inspired by the experienced designers at Spark.
Folkert:
"I’m often amazed by their knowledge. They know exactly how things work and how to make them. That inspires me."
Sustainability and innovation in healthcare also play a role. Folkert says:
"In healthcare, a lot is thrown away. It’s sterile and safe, but not sustainable. That can be improved."
Françoise adds:
"I love seeing how design can make healthcare more efficient and sustainable. There’s so much potential to make things better."
And the future
Liv dreams of a place where she can keep challenging herself:
"Whether in the Netherlands or on the other side of the world."
Françoise hopes for a job:
"With diverse tasks where I can keep learning, like at Spark, and maybe with a little farm on the side."
Folkert sums it up simply:
"A fun life and a job that doesn’t feel like work."
