"The industry's best investment"
This is what Tekniksprånget's operations manager, Helena Lind, says when she is interviewed in Svensk Verkstad. She believes that the practice pierces the prejudices that the engineering profession is dragged with.
When the industry is looking for expertise in headwinds, Tekniksprånget offers a bridge into the engineering profession. In an interview with Svensk Verkstad Media, our operations manager Helena Lind explains why internships can be the industry's best investment – both for young people and for employers.
A way into the engineering profession
Tekniksprånget is run by IVA (Kungl. The Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences) and offers young people with qualifications for engineering studies four months of paid internships. The purpose is clear: for more people to discover the possibilities of engineering.
Many young people are interested in technology but unsure of what the profession really entails. Through the internship, they get to test for real and the results speak for themselves; 75 percent of trainees choose to go on to higher technical education, and half of them are women.
Valuable for both parties
For employers, Tekniksprånget is both simple and rewarding. The interns contribute with new perspectives, energy and ideas in the short term, while the companies strengthen their future skills supply work. Many young people also return for summer jobs, degree projects or permanent employment.
Supervisors are developed in their leadership role, and employers receive support throughout the process – from registration to supervisor training.
"You don't become an engineer in a bubble"
Helena Lind emphasizes the importance of the industry daring to open its doors:
"The interest from young people is enormous. They are not only the resources of the future, but are an asset already today