Fujitsu Finland – Graduate Program
Fujitsu’s Graduate program is a two-year-long training program aimed at newly graduated university students and students who are close to graduation. The goal is to provide young people with work experience as well as opportunities for learning and development, and facilitate their transition to work life, while at the same time attracting new talent to Fujitsu.
Purpose
The Graduate Program provides participants with permanent employment and work related trainings during the first two years of employment. The Program amplifies diverse work-life skills through ten training modules which cover topics like self-awareness, self-leadership and general business knowledge.
The program is organized together with other Fujitsu countries in Europe. As such, it offers opportunities for international learning and networking.
Results
Fujitsu Finland hires ten to twenty graduates through the Program annually. Each participant is offered permanent employment and is assigned with a specific area of responsibility, as well as a personalized training curriculum.
Implementation
The Program is open for applications every spring, and a new training period starts either in September or October annually. Each graduate is assigned with a personal coach or “buddy” who is a Program participant from the previous year. The buddy is able to provide support with practicalities and any questions the graduate may have during the training period. Graduates are also matched with a mentor who can offer general career support and help with business specific issues.
Training modules are organized in different countries around Europe. They provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of Fujitsu´s international business and opportunities for international networking.
The Graduate Program of Fujitsu Finland is an initiative very beneficial to its main two sides. From one side, students and soo-to-be-graduates get the opportunity to be immersed in a real corporate world, start gaining valuable practical experience, reflect on the company as a potential long-term work place, and earn money along the way (which, as I recall from being a student, is much needed at that period of life). From another side, Fujitsu Finland has a pool of promising candidates for employment to work with and an opportunity to train them in the Fujitsu style of working and to get them familiarized with the company's values, environment, etc. For these two-sided benefits, I believe the program has good impact potential in the youth employment landscape.
However, this program is not something completely new. Basically, it is a corporate training-and-apprenticeship program for final-year students and graduates. I took part in a similar program back in my student days, and it was a good launchpad for my further career. Still, I am curious about the training modules within the program - perhaps they indeed contain some new knowledge and training methods.
Finally yet importantly, since such a program can be seen in other companies, I think the replicability of the Graduate Program of Fujitsu Finland is quite high. Not only it is replicated in the Fujitsu offices in other countries, but I believe it can also be adapted to serve other corporate working environments as well.
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