The jury of the competition ‘Best Internship Provider’ of the Estonian Employers’ Confederation voted AS SEB Pank as the best provider of internship opportunities for foreign students; SEB Pank has offered internships and supported foreign students continually and systematically for a long time.
SEB Pank stood out with a skilfully organised internship programme that offers great opportunities for foreign interns at an Estonian-speaking company. SEB Pank is also an active contributor to university lectures.
The award was presented to Allan Parik, the Chairman of SEB Pank, by Arto Aas, the Director of the Estonian Employers’ Confederation, and Mart Laidmets, the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Research.
According to Arto Aas, the Director of the Estonian Employers’ Confederation, it is extremely important to offer foreign students their first internships in Estonia because these are the people that can help with the need for high-end specialists. ‘Because of the language barrier, it is difficult for foreign exchange students to find internships in Estonia, but SEB Pank has found a way. Developing a thorough internship programme is worth the recognition it received because an initial positive working experience will more likely guarantee that the foreign student will stay in Estonia for work,’ Aas said.
SEB was distinguished from other candidates with their innovative internship programme Youth LAB, which, in addition to providing internship, is also looking for innovative solutions for the challenges in the banking sector.
According to May-Liis Musting, the Baltic Head of Human Resources of SEB, having a global perspective is important and SEB is knowingly working towards further involvement and maintaining diversity. ‘We are always open to international cooperation and, of course, to young people who come from abroad. Involving interns gives the company a chance to communicate with the generation just entering the labour market, get to know their values and expectations, and strengthen our recruitment network. Young people, in exchange, can obtain experiences in working in an international team and in the field of banking, because by involving various cultures, internship in SEB offers real work and valuable experiences for anyone,’ Musting said.
Mart Laidmets, Secretary General of the Ministry of Education and Research, recognised SEB Pank as the best provider of internship opportunities for foreign students and thanked the mentors of interns. ‘It is nearly impossible to provide great vocational and higher education without real practice,’ Laidmets said. ‘It is remarkable that the best internship provider for foreign students has this year gone to an organisation with an Estonian-speaking working environment. SEB has provided the utmost support and guidance for interns – they have pleasant and helpful employees and a comfortable and free atmosphere where young people wish to work.’
SEB Pank was nominated to the competition by the bank itself and the School of Business and Governance of Tallinn University of Technology, who valued the proactive approach of the bank – the company was willing to continue or re-organise the internships even during the crisis.
Other winners of the 2020 competition are as follows: the best regional internship provider among small enterprises – PCC Projekt AS; the best provider of internship opportunities for foreign students in Estonia – SEB Pank AS. OÜ Gurmeeklubi was highlighted for providing thoughtful and skilled internships for students with special needs. The main prize of the competition was awarded to Magnetic MRO AS.
The competition ‘Best Internship Provider’ is organised by the Estonian Employers’ Confederation in cooperation with the Ministry of Education and Research and the Education and Youth Authority. The competition is funded by the Republic of Estonia, the European Social Fund, and the Estonian Employers’ Confederation.
Photograph: Aron Urb