The Traineeship Story | by Dini Kemala

It has been a remarkable opportunity for me to be involved in ASEAN-German Energy Programme (AGEP) Phase II, a jointly implemented programme between the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), from October 2021 to April 2022. During the traineeship programme, I saw how every person contributed to building great teamwork in achieving the project’s objective, which is to strengthen ACE’s role as a regional competence centre of excellence. The rarity of having physical meetings does not limit the team to maintaining good coordination and keeping the project on track.

The six-month experience has given me beyond my expectations. Being involved in developing the 7^th Edition ASEAN Energy Outlook (AEO) and renewable energy discussions such as Biogas Study and RE Financing FGD has enriched my knowledge of the energy situation across ASEAN Member States (AMS). The AEO7 development activity has improved my analytical skill and taught me how the extensive data are cooked to produce the most relevant result. While from the FGDs, I noticed the urgency of diversifying renewable energy sources as ASEAN moves to cleaner and more sustainable energy.

I’m amazed that the project is always embedded in the call to action and capacity enhancement. Furthermore, I assisted in preparing the draft infographic to celebrate International Women’s Day 2022 by collecting data related to women’s status in the energy sector and the challenge faced in entering the energy workforce. As the gender mainstreaming approach is one of AGEP’s focuses in the area, I learned the strategies to raise women’s participation at the policymaker level.

I am also fortunate to participate in the Effective Report Writing Training from February until April 2022. Through the training, I learned some important elements that should be incorporated into our writing to grab readers’ attention and keep them engaged. Not only in writing a report, but this can also be implemented in any written communication, such as writing our work progress or following up a memo to our colleague.

Having an environmental engineering background, I previously viewed energy issues from one lens. Being part of AGEP has taught me that there are varied approaches to solving this issue from social, financial, or policy sides. Moreover, working in a very supportive environment is another blessing in developing my skills. Hopefully, this experience will be a good starting point for pursuing my career in the sustainable energy field. (DK)