Elkem technical trainee programme: Hi Elkem, nice to digitalise you!

When I look back on my graduation day in Paris — the afternoon sun, the closing of my academic chapter in chemistry — I’m reminded of how Gabriel Garcia Márquez began One Hundred Years of Solitude: with a memory that would shape everything to come.

That moment marked the end of my academic journey and the beginning of my professional one. A year later, as I work on debugging the new Electronic Lab Notebook (ELN) system implemented in Elkem Silicones, I'm reminded of that day – and the path that has brought me to Elkem.

At that time, the concept of AI was gaining global attention through the widespread adoption of ChatGPT, yet I hadn't realised how this new technology would impact both the future of our industry and my career path. Now, after a year of hands-on work in digital transformation projects at Elkem, I've gained a deeper understanding of the critical significance and value that digitalisation offers, which has solidified my career direction.

From the ivory tower to hands-on experience

My studies in the French engineering grandes écoles system fundamentally shaped my professional DNA. In this pedagogical philosophy, theoretical rigour marries industrial pragmatism, and business impact is pursued through iterative implementation rather than academic perfection.

With this background, I chose to bypass pure research roles and instead seek industrial challenges where equations meet execution.

What a young graduate needs most when facing this school-to-industry transition is an opportunity to see what work is like in the actual industry before diving deeply into it. Fortunately, I found Elkem’s technical trainee programme.

My first rotation was with Elkem Silicones in Shanghai, based at the newly established APAC R&D centre. My primary focus involved implementing a global ELN system for the Silicones division, alongside supporting other digital transformation initiatives. As a trained chemist, I initially harboured frustration about being distanced from laboratory work. However, as I learned more about the strategic value of digitalisation in the chemical manufacturing field, this gradually dissipated.

KATELIN Project: Architecting the database for next-gen silicone innovation

I was introduced to the KATELIN project team on my first day at Elkem. This project aims to establish a new R&D database for the Silicones division, replacing paper lab notebooks with a delicately configured digital platform where technicians and operators can securely record, share and review research data from all locations. It’ll facilitate efficient use of R&D data, from 5S lab management to data modelling, to enhance the auditability of our products and lab automation – all of which helps ensure our strong position and competitiveness on a global market.

During weeks of intensive training sessions, I learned fast and with passion, taking responsibility as the system’s APAC region product owner by the end of training. I joined this project in its early stage for APAC, which allowed great autonomy in organising regional deployment.

My chemist background helped me understand the needs of our colleagues in labs: minimising endless paperwork and accelerating their innovative designs and experiments. I compiled their needs by spending time communicating with them and trying to see things from their perspective, and in the process, my communication and collaboration skills grew stronger.

I am grateful to be participating in Project KATELIN. It has introduced me to our Silicones R&D teams, with their amazing products and professionalism, and it has shown me the importance of a project being well-organised, managed, supported and executed.

The project has also demonstrated the challenges of change management. Through deployment in APAC, we have had to convince users to adjust and standardise their work processes. This could be arduous at times, but as young graduates, we want nothing more than to apply our knowledge and initiatives to make a difference!

I am now in my second rotation with Elkem's IT Department in Lyon, continuing my work on Project Katelin as a Data Engineer. My primary responsibility involves developing and optimising data models to enable the visualisation and analysis of user-input experimental data.

My next ambition is to integrate our R&D database with Elkem’s AI assistant, enabling advanced computer tools to identify patterns in our data and make more accurate predictions for developing new products. In the same way that online shopping platforms recommend products based on previous purchases, our AI tool could suggest possible directions for new product research by learning from past project outcomes. This will help us work more efficiently and cut down time wasted on repetitive lab experiments.

Embarking on a learning adventure as a trainee

The great thing about being a technical trainee is that we can experience authentic local life at various Elkem facilities – across continents and countries, both on-site and outside the office. Through our placements, we’re granted multidimensional learning opportunities, not only through our core projects, but also via collaboration with our exceptional colleagues, participation in competency- and methodology-focused Elkem Business System (EBS) seminars and other external trainings and even cultural immersion.

This year, I had my first-ever skiing experience in the beautiful ski valley of Åre, Sweden. After a morning filled with practising the "pizza slice" technique and countless close encounters with the ground, I finally managed to ski down the beginner slope from top to bottom without stopping. The rush of gliding down the snow was exhilarating, but what I cherished even more was the sense of achievement that came with learning a new skill!

So far, while venturing through life as a trainee, the most important things I’ve learnt are how to learn and what to learn. Not all knowledge proves equally valuable. Thus, choosing wisely both the things that are helpful to learn and the people who are brilliant to learn from, while also remaining resilient when facing challenges, has been the priceless treasure I have found along the journey.