15 June 2020-2 Oct 2020 – As part of the International Medical University‘s (IMU) Pharmaceutical Chemistry programme, I had the opportunity to undergo my internship at Wipro Unza Sdn Bhd in Subang Jaya, working in the Quality Control (QC) Department under the supervision of a Senior QC Manager.
| About Wipro Unza Sdn Bhd |
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| Wipro Unza Sdn Bhd is a personal care company that manufactures and markets a wide range of personal care products such as skincare, haircare, talcum powder and shower products. These products are marketed under well-known brands like Safi, Enchanteur, Dashing and Aiken. |
Performing my industrial training during the pandemic was an exciting and a valuable experience. The company arranged a 16 weeks’ schedule for me to be placed in different divisions under the QC Department.
| Some of these Different Divisions include: | |
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| • Bulk Sample Inspection | • Microbiology |
| • Raw Materials Tests o Packaging o Raw Ingredients | • Finished Goods Check |
Before going to each of the division, I was briefed by the person in charge of the division as per their “Working Instructions” which consists of guidelines, Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and precautionary steps. For example, I was provided with a safety helmet and safety vest when I was placed at the warehouse for the raw materials tests. This is due to the possible hazards that might occur in a warehouse full of forklifts and items stacked together forming high towers. It was also a learning process for me in being ethical at the workplace and following the SOPs. 
There were a lot of analytical instruments and methods used in the QC laboratory, and as a Pharmaceutical Chemistry student, I have been exposed to the fundamental knowledge of most of these analytical instruments at some of the hands-on practicals in IMU. This has enabled me to cope with the work in the internship training. I am enlightened when I received positive feedback from the QC analysts and assistant QC managers that I am a fast-learner and multi-tasker and they were surprised that I was able to guide the other QC staff on how to do the bulk sample checking. This is the peer learning culture that we established at the University and hence I did it naturally. The feedback motivates me to do better and sharpen my technical and interpersonal skills. During the internship, I was also assigned to two projects ‘Determination of the Tensile Strength of Pouch Bag’ and ‘Parameters that Affect the Line Inspection’. I had stage fright the moment I come to know that I need to present my outcomes and findings to the General Manager. Thanks to the oral presentations that we have in IMU, I am happy that I was able to overcome the nervousness and present it well to my superiors. I am glad that I was able to contribute in the improvement of product quality and working systems.
| Advice to the juniors |
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| Do a background check on the company that you are interested in doing your internship. |
| Be prepared for the challenges. |
| Grab the learning opportunities. |
| Pick up as much skills as you can. |
| Sharpen the knowledge that you’ve gained while studying in IMU. |
Overall, the four-month internship is a very meaningful and beneficial experience for me. I am grateful for this huge amount of knowledge that have been provided to me with the opportunity of meeting great people from the industry.
Written by final year Pharmaceutical Chemistry student, Nur Rafiqah Bt Abdol Wahab from PC118.
