Since 2017, ‘Skills for Jobs’ partner schools offer students long-term apprenticeships in companies, in cooperation with their business partners.

From the first year of piloting the placement of students in companies, the need for a matching process between the apprentice and the host business emerged. For this purpose, from the beginning of school in September, students are trained by Career Counseling Coordinators and school instructors to apply with CVs and motivation letters in companies in their region, where they can complete long-term apprenticeships.

The career counseling process at this point includes:

• First, the student gets to know school’s partner companies (the company may visit the school, or the student may visit the business or its clients).

• Second, the student gets to know himself better through some elements of Organizational Psychology. He/she highlights elements of his soft and technical skills and defines the reason for applying to a particular company.

With the help of the Career Counseling Coordinator, the school instructor and the Business Relations Coordinator, the student compiles his/her file and applies for internship by sending the CV and motivation letter to the responsible person in the company.

After the student has submitted at least 3 applications to different companies for higher possibility of starting the apprenticeship, he/she waits for a response to be selected for the interview. Companies consider for an apprenticeship those ​​students showing the highest motivation.

Before the interview, the student receives the last advice from the Career Counseling Coordinator, memorizes the ‘6 Tips for the Apprentice’ leaflet posted on the main wall of the Development Unit, and asks necessary questions.

Company instructors make simple but investigative questions during the interview: What are the student’s passions; what dishes do they cook at home and why do they want to become chefs; what connects them to the software world; how they see their career in computer science, etc.

Over the course of 20 minutes, student’s suitability for the internship company as well as his/her interests can be understood. It is then up to the students to show their desire to learn and what they can do during the apprenticeship!