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"The main requirement of our scholarship programme for students who prepare to take up employment in Poznań is that they submit an application together with the company at which they are going to do their internship. This criterion allows us to finance internships that are carefully thought through by both the employer and the scholarship holder. I think this is why the City of Poznań's scholarship programme finds the right beneficiaries who later on successfully pursue their careers," Katarzyna Sobocińska says, Deputy Director at the Investor Relations Department and the initiator of the Internship Scholarships programme.

From a Scholarship to... a Startup - Michał Paszyn's Story

I heard about the City of Poznań's Internship Scholarships programme for students from a friend actively seeking various employment opportunities. At the time, I cooperated with a company that I thought to be the right place for taking up an internship and then employment. I talked to them and it turned out that the City of Poznań's internship programme was a perfect solution for us. Once my internship was successfully completed, the company expressed its willingness to continue our cooperation under an employment contract.

Finally, some time later, I decided to start my own business. Together with friends, we engaged in innovative startup projects - our activities are related to various B2B and B2C areas. One of these projects is BudgetBee, meant to help companies and employees in managing employee benefits based on the participatory budget operating model.

We thought that the internship programme for students would provide good support both for us and our potential employee. Thanks to my previous experience and the efficient process of awarding scholarships, we managed to gain a new valuable team member. We plan to benefit from this programme in the future as well, as it is a perfect solution both for companies and their future employees - students.

Significant Support in Hiring New Employees - Wavin Shared Services Sp. z o.o., Paulina Małecka

To date we have organised as many as 7 internships under the City of Poznań's programme. The first one started in 2017 and its beneficiary still works with Wavin Shared Services Sp. z o.o., at present as a Manager. He demonstrated outstanding skills, very quickly recognised and appreciated.

As many as five people, that is almost 72% our former interns, have remained involved with our organisation and continue working with us. Two of our former interns are now in management jobs. The remaining three are specialists whom we offer further significant development opportunities and achievable career paths. Everyone who has chosen to stay with our organisation works under an employment contract.

One of these interns, who took up her internship in June 2018, pursued a course of study completely unrelated to our company's profile and her interests did not include the financial sector. It turned out that thanks to the internship allowing her to get acquainted with an entirely new area, one she had never been in contact with before, she found her career path.

We attract new interns, who send us their CVs and express willingness to take part in the recruitment process, mainly via recruitment portals. Another good source of potential candidates is cooperation with universities. Our employees also serve as a channel of information. We encourage them to spread information about the internship programme among their friends. 

The internship programme gives us an opportunity to learn about employees' competencies, skills and preferences as well as their ways to handle work under time pressure. It turns out that many applicants demonstrate values we highly appreciate and so we are able to propose positions well suited to our young interns' expectations and ensure that they will be able to continue their development at our organisation.

Introduction to the Profession of an Architect - Adam Szymaniak

For me, the internship was the beginning of my professional career as an architect. I took it up at the Poznań design studio RHplus architekci. During my internship, I was introduced to the company's working standards and got acquainted with the software being an important architect tool, and I also started to learn how to use in practice the theoretical knowledge I acquired during my studies. Gradually, I was entrusted with more and more complex and demanding tasks. But I continue to gain experience invaluable in the architectural profession as well as necessary technical and legal knowledge.

Most of all, the internship showed me what the work of an architect was truly like. It provided me with the first opportunity to confront my ideas about this profession with its reality. I gained general knowledge of the sector and had the chance to watch and work with experienced architects. The internship showed me my strengths and areas of improvement. My commitment and thorough execution of entrusted tasks resulted in an employment contract signed after my internship. I still work at the studio.

Obtaining the scholarship proved quite easy. A filled application form was to be sent to the office within the stipulated deadline. Once the application had been examined, an agreement was entered into by the intern, the company and the city. After my 6-month internship, all that was to be done was to present my employment contract with the company.

Financial Support for Companies

According to for instance Wavin company representatives, the Internship Scholarships programme brings measurable benefits for employers as well - they gain valuable employees. Furthermore, the programme enables them to receive additional funds and thus provides budgetary relief. Also, students can get acquainted with the nature of their future jobs from the very beginning.

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There are still 11 scholarships available in this year's pool. We look forward to receiving your applications! For all necessary information and documents please visit: https://www.poznan.pl/mim/inwestycje/stypendia,p,45398,45405.html