Merab Bolkvadze, Engineer: I Knew that One Day I Would Become a Part of this Company
Merab Bolkvadze lives in Khulo. His career at the Shuakhevi Hydropower Plant (HPP) started with a public meeting at the university he was attending. He took advantage of the opportunity he was given and today holds an important position in one of the country’s largest energy projects.
“In 2016, when I was a student in the Faculty of Power Engineering at Georgian Technical University, the dean of our faculty informed students that Adjaristsqali Georgia had announced an internship program at their Shuakhevi HPP project. As a student, I was naturally very interested in working at any energy project, but this project was particularly important for me since I am from the Khulo district. The Shuakhevi HPP was being built right in front of me, and I was very eager to work on that project.”
Company representatives visited Georgian Technical University to provide information on the project and told students that the company’s door was open for them. Merab submitted his application immediately after the competition was announced. He believes that he was lucky because he was chosen to be interviewed alongside some of the best students at the university. In the end, three students were selected, and Merab was among them.
“Our internship lasted all summer. It was one of the most interesting stages of my life and full of new experiences. Not only did we gain interesting practical knowledge on a daily basis, but it was also such a pleasure to work for such a multicultural organization with engineers from about ten different countries. It was a paid internship, and we were given the same privileges that all of the company’s employees enjoyed. When I returned to study at the university in the fall, the internship was over, but I knew that one day I would become a part of this company.”
In 2017, Adjaristsqali Georgia LLC started recruiting engineers for the Shuakhevi HPP’s operation phase. Merab successfully passed his interview and joined the team.“Today, I am an operation engineer. There are no big or small roles in our company. We are part of a larger chain. Each one of us is doing something very important for both the company and our country – we work 24 x 7 so that our fellow citizens can receive the electricity that the Shuakhevi HPP is generating. I feel proud to be a part of AGL having a great Work Culture & Values”