Students must be ingenious as no vocal or written communication is permitted. Teams attack other problems with full communication within the group, and competition between the groups. A representative of the AIU explains what students can expect as well as what is expected of the students. The Apprenticeship Committee selects different types of host engineering organizations for students to visit, such as environmental, governmental, biotechnical, or manufacturing. Members of the Apprenticeship Committee contact prospective hosts.
Organizations expressing an interest receive a complete explanation of the program.
The cost to the host organization of a group visit is emphasized, as it is not insignificant. Hosts can expect a maximum of 8 students and possibly one adult to visit for the day. Visits usually last about 4 hours, however the host determines the length of the visit based on the agenda they have planned. The host is asked to commit engineers to accompany students during visits to project sites. Usually two to five engineers of the host are involved, and a meal is often provided.