Winners of the competition “Praktik Cum Laude” by the Estonian Employers’ Confederation were selected from among 57 candidates. The awarded interns come from the IT and Development Centre of the Ministry of the Interior, Ericsson Eesti, Eesti Energia, and Maarja Village.
‘For employers, employees with great practical skills are worth a fortune. This is the reason we are organising the “Praktik Cum Laude” competition – to highlight these people’, said the CEO of the Estonian Employers’ Confederation Arto Aas. ‘According to employers, the interns were of real use – they provided new knowledge and vivified teams, taught their colleagues and performed a lot of necessary work. The benefit is mutual – many of them already received a job offer or an invitation to return to the internship in the coming year’, said Aas.
The best intern in higher education is intern Taavi Salum, at As Ericsson Eesti, who is studying Electrical Engineering at the Tallinn University of Applied Sciences. Taavi stands out with his persistence, having completed his fifth internship with the same company. However, each time he was in the role of a different engineer, understanding what skills he needs to develop.
The best intern in the international student category is intern Antonio Lustrissimi at AS Eesti Energia who is studying Environmental Engineering and Management at the Tallinn University of Technology. He analysed the activities in the heating sector and looked for opportunities to create added value. According to the company, he was responsible and used every opportunity to make the most of the internship and to create value for the company with his work.
The best intern in vocational education is intern Andreas Tigasing, at the IT and Development Centre of the Ministry of the Interior, who is studying to become a Junior Specialist of IT Systems at the Tartu Vocational Education Centre. His work in the field of interior security was filled with great responsibility since the internship coincided with the time when the emergency situation was announced in the country, and all other employees transferred to home offices.
The best intern in work-based training is intern Katrin Reidla, at SA Maarja Küla, who is studying to become an Activity Instructor at the Tartu Health Care College. Katrin’s task during her internship was to support intellectually disabled young adults in their everyday activities. According to the employer, she was skilled in finding out a person’s wishes, while taking into consideration their habits, listening to the expectations of the support network, and implementing all of these.
By means of online voting in social media, Sigrid Sikk was voted the public’s favourite; she performed her internship at Swedbank Eesti AS. The student from Public Administration and Governance at the Tallinn University of Technology contributed to the bank’s social media and support activities during her internship.
‘When educational institutions and entrepreneurs join forces in organising internships jointly, all parties and the society as a whole benefit from this. Interns will gain invaluable experience which will provide courage to enter into the world of work. Companies will gain employees the training of whom they themselves have participated in. Schools, however, have the opportunity to take the needs of companies into even greater consideration when organising studies’, said Minister of Education and Research Mailis Reps.
A record number of people, who achieved outstanding results during their internship in the previous academic year, participated in the “Praktik Cum Laude” competition, organised by the Estonian Employers’ Confederation for the fifth time. Candidates were nominated by employers from across Estonia.
At the competition, the Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences and Ülemiste City also awarded prizes to supervisors of internships. According to Rector Mait Rung, their school is a university of applied sciences, which means that practical experience and the application of what has been learned is important for the institution. ‘We are one of the first institutions of higher education in Estonia to extensively implement workplace-based apprenticeship studies and internships, which is why we are glad to contribute to the competition that values cooperation between companies and schools’, said the Rector of the Estonian Entrepreneurship University of Applied Sciences.
The competition “Praktik Cum Laude” is organised by the Estonian Employers’ Confederation in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research and the Education and Youth Board. The project is funded by the European Social Fund, the Republic of Estonia, and the Estonian Employers’ Confederation.
You can re-watch the ceremonial event HERE.
Photos: Raigo Paljula