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A Summer at Ginzinger: HTL Students Share Insights into Their Internship
(fl.: Tobias, Jonas, Judith)
This summer, several students from HTL Braunau once again supported us in various areas of our company and gained hands-on experience—ranging from hardware and software development to quality assurance, production, and artificial intelligence. In this interview, Mark, Lilly, Alex, Judith, Jonas, and Tobias talk about their tasks, new experiences, and what they’ve taken away from their summer at Ginzinger.
Why did you decide to do a summer internship at Ginzinger?
Lilly: In my 4th year at HTL Braunau, we had the opportunity to participate in a mentoring program and list a company of our choice. My teacher suggested Ginzinger electronic systems. After learning more about the company, I found the combination of hardware and software particularly exciting.
Through the program, I got in touch with my mentor, Tanja Ginzinger, and was able to get to know different departments during several meetings throughout the school year. This eventually led to the opportunity to complete my summer internship at Ginzinger—specifically in the areas that interested me the most.
Jonas: For me, the company’s local presence, its good reputation, and recommendations from people I know were the deciding factors. I was also interested in the technical field of work.
Tobias: The school requires a mandatory internship of at least four weeks. For me, this was a great opportunity to gain practical experience, get a feel for the day-to-day work at an electronics company—and, of course, earn my own money.
What did you work on during your time at Ginzinger?
Mark: My responsibilities were a mix of hardware and software. I worked on automating the monitoring of measuring equipment, as well as on software tools for test equipment design and EMC measurements. Another project involved commissioning a display with a microcontroller.
Lilly: My internship was intentionally broad in scope. One focus was quality assurance, where I was allowed to conduct component tests myself. I also gained insights into quality management, logistics, receiving, assembly, repair services, and commissioning. After an introduction, I was able to work hands-on in the individual departments and try things out for myself.
Alex: My project focused on artificial intelligence. Since I’m taking the “Coding & AI” track at HTL, this was my first opportunity to apply what I’d learned in class intensively in a practical setting.
Tobias: My workstation was also in production. My tasks included assembling printed circuit boards and performing various tests. This allowed me to see firsthand which steps are necessary before a printed circuit board is ready for further use.
What were you able to apply from what you learned in school? What was new to you?
Alex: Up until now, we’d mainly covered AI theoretically in school. At Ginzinger, I learned how to build my own AI infrastructure—from working hands-on with locally hosted large language models to RAG pipelines. It was especially interesting to see how different AI building blocks are connected to form a complete system.
Mark: I already had some prior knowledge of microcontrollers, but until then I’d mainly worked with ESP microcontrollers. At Ginzinger, I was able to work more intensively with STM microcontrollers for the first time and learn how to program and configure them.
Judith: I was already familiar with many technical terms and electronic components from school. What was new to me, above all, was how complex the entire manufacturing process is and how many steps are automated—for example, soldering.
What have you learned from your internship? What advice would you give to other future interns?
Lilly: What I’m taking away most of all are the insights I gained into the different departments. Because I was able to try out so many things for myself, I now have a better idea of which areas interest me the most. I can only recommend to others: Get as much as you can out of your internship! Be open-minded and ask questions—whether you don’t understand something or just want to know more about how something works.
Alex: I’ve learned not just to look at different AI tools individually, but to combine them into a cohesive system. This has helped me better understand many technical concepts.
Jonas: In addition to the hands-on experience, I’ve especially taken away valuable lessons about time management and organizing my own work. Important: Just apply, dive in, and stay open-minded. And if there’s something you don’t know—ask! People are happy to help and will take the time to explain and show you things.
Thank you so much for your insights and your dedication at Ginzinger!
