Students and companies met for speed (job) dating to find the right match for 16 internships and 9 student jobs in one day.
The Biotech City is working towards a vision of locally cultivating the talent that the city's industry needs. To achieve this, a close link between the city's businesses and educational institutions is needed, and the matchmaking event is one of many examples of this.
MATCHMAKING ON THE KALUNDBORG CAMPUS
Absalon's Kalundborg Campus, which was inaugurated last year, provided the setting for the event, which this year included company representatives from Novo Nordisk, Novozymes and NNE in addition to graduate students in biotechnology and mechanical engineering.
The programme included student jobs for engineering students and internships for 5th semester students in both mechanical and biotechnology, all of whom will spend five months in internships before completing their bachelor's projects.
BATTLE FOR STUDENTS
The atmosphere was intense and thick with anticipation during the event, which featured job and internship speed dating - a whopping 85 15-minute interviews.
Both company representatives and students had smiles on their faces. And with good reason. Almost all internships and student jobs were filled on the day, and the remaining ones are in process.
The event worked really well. The students were super good and very motivated, and I got the intern I was looking for."
Carsten Jacobsen, Senior Process Engineer, Novozymes.
Tommy Alfast, NNE manager, adds:
I went looking for an intern for my department, and I found one at the Matchmaking event. It was a great way to talk to potential interns. There was great quality in the conversations, and with the 'speed dating' format, you quickly get to what matters to both the intern and the company."
Tommy Alfast, Manager, Process Utility, NNE
Enthusiasm for the Matchmaking event was also evident among students:
Tommy Alfast and students in conversation
It was a really cool and useful format to meet the companies in, as you got to have several different conversations and companies and could get an idea of where you could best see yourself. I was offered internships in several places and am now looking forward to starting my internship in February."
Phillip Juel Jensen, 5th semester biotechnology engineering student and future intern at Novozymes.
However, with a higher number of students than available student jobs and internships, not everyone received an offer of employment:
We do what we can to help students write applications, put together CVs and prepare for interviews, but we're not quite there yet if a company wants to get its hands on a trainee from 1 February. It is part of the programme that students have to do an internship in the 6th semester, and fortunately we have a good experience in finding internships for those who are missing through our large network in the city,"
says Lone Buch, Project Manager at Absalon Campus in Kalundborg.
COOPERATION IN A CLASS OF ITS OWN
The close cooperation between education and industry is one of the advantages of being a student in the Biotech City, where Absalon offers a high degree of practical learning, such as project collaboration, company visits, guest lectures, mentoring, etc. in collaboration with the city's companies.
And the unique collaboration between education and industry is of great importance to students. For Spain's Carlota Cano Perez, for example, who highlights proximity to industry as a focal point from an international student's perspective:
Having industry so close is a great way to really get your hands into biotechnology during your studies."
Carlota Cano Perez, 5th semester biotechnology graduate student.
At the Matchmaking event, Carlota attended two interviews, one of which resulted in a future internship at Novo Nordisk Kalundborg.
The matchmaking event is organised in collaboration between Biotech City companies, Absalon University of Applied Sciences and Knowledge Hub Zealand.
Carlota Cano Perez
Knowledge Hub Zealand
Holbækvej 141B
4400 Kalundborg
Knowledge Hub Zealand
Holbækvej 141B
4400 Kalundborg