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Tapping into European Talent Best Practice guide for SMEs
1
www.getmobileproject.eu
Tapping into European Talent
`Finding and Hosting a Work Placement from Europe: Best Practice Guide for SMEs
This project has been funded with the support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of
the information contained therein.
Tapping into European Talent Best Practice guide for SMEs
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www.getmobileproject.eu
1. Introduction .................................................................................. 3
2. Placement programmes in Europe .............................................. 6
3. Could hosting a placement benefit your SME? ........................... 9
4. Providing a female-friendly placement environment .................. 12
5. Cultural implications of hosting a placement trainee ................. 16
6. How to choose the trainee that’s right for your SME ................. 18
7. Hosting a placement trainee – before your trainee starts .......... 21
8. Hosting a placement trainee – the first few weeks .................... 24
9. Hosting a placement trainee – support and monitoring ............. 26
10. Hosting a placement trainee – evaluation and follow-up ......... 28
Tapping into European Talent Best Practice guide for SMEs
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www.getmobileproject.eu
1. Introduction
In this handbook you can get practical information on how to find out about hosting a placement
trainee in your SME. We’ll take you through each step from advertising and recruitment to
managing the placement trainee whilst at your organisation.
Get Mobile is a Euroupean initiative involving a group of organisations, is a group of
organisations in the UK, the Netherlands, Greece, Italy, Iceland and Turkey, working together to
inspire and encourage greater European mobility of female graduates in BS (Business and
science), especially those who are unemployed or under-employed, as well as encouraging more
SMEs to host these graduates.
Get Mobile works with two main groups:
1. SMEs (especially microbusiness with less than 5 employees)
2. Female graduates in Business, Science and Technology
Traditionally, SMEs and microbusinesses are much less likely to make use of the potentially
valuable source of innovation and creativity that European female graduates undertaking a
placement period could provide. We’re working to change this, showing SMEs the benefits of
taking on a placement trainee, and supporting them with the process of recruiting and hosting a
placement trainee from abroad.
We’re producing 3 key tools to support SMEs in finding out more about hosting a placement
trainee and to encourage more SMEs to host a placement trainee from abroad:
1. Best Practice Guide for European SMEs on Finding and Hosting a Work Placement: a
Guidebook for SMEs about the process of hosting a placement student from abroad.
2. Business Briefing Workshops: we’ll be holding practical information workshops about
how to host a placement trainee from abroad.
The workshops will include information regarding selection of trainees, costs involved, the
cultural implications, support for the trainee and an introduction to the online Get Connected
Zone.
3. Get Connected Zone: an online initiative/platform bringing female graduates and SMEs
together from across Europe. SMEs can register to advertise a placement vacancy to the
graduate members of the zone.
This guidebook is the first of these support tools for SMEs. We aim to provide a basic introduction
to finding and hosting a placement, and to de-mystify the process for SMEs. You can also use this
handbook as a useful guide to refer to throughout the process of hosting a placement trainee, to
make sure you both get the best out of the opportunity.
Register on the Get Connected Zone to meet other companies like yourself and share
experiences, as well as hearing from companies who’ve hosted a placement before. You can post
your placement vacancy and look through potential candidates who might just be the answer to
supporting your SME with activities whilst providing an amazing career experience for a recent
graduate.
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www.getmobileproject.eu
Organisations involved in Get Mobile:
Inova Consultancy (UK), www.inovaconsult.com
VHTO ( The Dutch National Expert Organisation on girls/women in science technology in The
Netherlands), www.vhto.nl
CLP (Italy), www.clpge.it
The Directorate of Labor (Iceland), www.vinnumalastofnun.is
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www.getmobileproject.eu
KISGEM (Turkey), www.pendikkisgem.tr
MILITOS Emerging Technologies & Services (Greece) www.militos.org
We are funded by the European Commission through the Lifelong Learning Programme.
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www.getmobileproject.eu
2. Placement programmes in Europe
Mobility/Placement programmes in Europe Mobility is the term most commonly used by the European
Commission to refer to people going abroad from one country to
another to work with an organisation for an agreed period of
time. Sometimes this is also known as a placement, internship
or traineeship. Mobility of people is a key priority for the EU.
The European Commission promotes mobility programmes
supporting placements (periods designed for training purposes,
spent in work environments where trainees are actively involved
in work processes) abroad for a number of different beneficiaries
(e.g. students, graduates, potential entrepreneurs). Trainees can
apply for specific programmes that cover their costs for going on
placement abroad in Europe. Placements can take place in any
organisation with legal status in Europe. SMEs might also
receive applications from individuals who are self-funding their
placement and so are not linked with any EC programme.
What does a mobility placement involve? Depending on which funding programme the trainee accesses,
placement periods can range from between 1 month and 12
months (length is defined before departure) in an organisation in
any of the 27 member states as well as in Croatia, Iceland,
Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey.
Tasks to be performed by the trainees during their placement
period vary according to their education and experience as well
as the host organisation’s requirements. You can outline what
particular skills and activities you are looking for from a
placement trainee. All this data and information is part of a
"Training Agreement" prepared between the trainee and your
organisation so that expectations are clear for both sides before
the placement trainee arrives. Placement trainees do need
sufficient support and management during their placement
period as it is often their first experience of work. As an SME,
this may be one of your main concerns, in terms of the time and
resources this takes. This guide aims to help you through the
process so that it can be as smooth a process as possible and
that the benefits from having a placement will outweigh any time
or resources spent in the long run.
Success Story: SME
“ My name is Eric Wijmenga
and I am the director of
Intercambio, an educational
agency in Sheffield. We
recently hosted our first
international graduate in
2011, but we needed a
graduate with good language
skills to help us process
enquires from overseas clients
and deal with administration.
The main requirements were
flexibility and interest toward
the business sector as well as
the role which had been newly
created in the organization.
The experience was extremely
positive and we were very
impressed with how the
graduate helped us deliver
our services and developed
into a very strong all-around
member of the team. Hosting
a European graduate made a
huge difference in the day to
day running of our business
and I would recommend this
experience to other SMEs as
well. I also learned a great
deal about myself and my
management skills and
responsibilities, making this a
mutually beneficial learning
experience”.
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www.getmobileproject.eu
“All these different countries‘ life
experiences helped to build a good
relationship with my customers in my
business life”
SME in Turkey, hosted a placement
trainee
“Internationalization plays a key role
in our activity, and the opportunity of
hosting a motivated and resourceful
graduate who can act as an insider in
order to research a new market is
definitely interesting”
SME in Italy, hosted a placement
trainee
Funding For you as a small business (and any other organisation
hosting a placement trainee) there are no compulsory costs.
The graduates can be eligible for a grant which covers travel
and living expenses (including insurance and visas). You can
choose to provide contributions to the placement trainee
during their placement period (either financial or in kind), but
this is entirely optional.
Success story: Trainee
Hi! My name is Elisavet and I am from
Greece.
By the time I was a post graduate
student, heading for my MSc in
Management at the University of
Sheffield in the UK, I was pretty
concerned about my involvement in the
‘real’ world of employment and my
personal career. As it usually goes, stuck
between a rock and a hard place - that is,
the vicious circle of having to have work
experience to get a job or start your own
business, when you are actually not
supposed to at this point in your life. At
this point I came across the online
platform of the EU project
‘women@business’, where female
graduates were given the opportunity to
actively participate, through placement
all over Europe, in enterprises by working
alongside successful female
entrepreneurs. So, I just took my chances
and applied, which eventually brought
me in contact with a Greek SME, Militos
Emerging Technologies & Services
(www.militos.org). Following the
submission of my CV and an interesting
Skype interview with the Managing
Director of the company, we explored
common interests and worked our way
towards collaboration; I was able to
convince her of my commitment to this
internship experience. To me, this really
kicked the doors open in having the
chance to learn directly from real
professionals, testing and exploring
suitable roles and gaining the so much
sought after work experience. During my
placement period, which I very much
enjoyed as it was really rewarding both
professionally and personally, I felt really
valued. As for now, I’m a full time
employee in Militos, as they say ‘one of
the key team-members!’ and it all started through a placement. Isn’t that inspiring?
Trust me, it is 100%.
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www.getmobileproject.eu
The chapter at a glance
� A placement is a period designed for training purposes, spent in work environments where
trainees are actively involved in work processes
� EC mobility programmes support placements abroad for a number of different beneficiaries
(e.g. students, graduates, would-be entrepreneurs).
� Placements can be hosted by any organisation with legal status in the 27 member states as
well as in Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland and Turkey – and this
includes SMEs.
� Duration can range from 1 to 12 months and is defined before departure together with tasks
to be performed by the trainee (Training Agreement)
� It is up to the host organization to decide who to take on as a trainee according to its own
requirements
� Support and management of trainees are the key issues explored in this guide
Useful Links & Templates
Useful information regarding opportunities in Europe
http://ec.europa.eu/education/erasmus-for-all/
http://www.globalplacement.com/about
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www.getmobileproject.eu
3. How could hosting a placement benefit
your SME?
Internationalization has made a big impact on companies globally.
As they grow more international, the need for networking and
knowledge about different cultures grows accordingly. How can you
prepare for increased global competition? How will you be able to
market your company in a different culture without some knowledge
about it? Small businesses might not have the capacity to hire staff
to do this, so taking on a trainee might be just the thing you need to
expand your business.
Your business might not have all the competences you need, such
as special knowledge about certain areas of your business or
marketing areas.
The main benefits for you of taking on a placement include:
• Insights and knowledge about different cultures (which is
crucial in order to succeed in international businesses)
• Further development of competences and skills for your
SME and the opportunity to develop a project you otherwise
might not have the time or skills to work on
Now let’s look closer at the benefits of taking on a trainee:
• Fresh Thinking: The trainee can bring in new ideas to your
company and new ways of looking at your organisation’s
activities to help improve processes. A new outlook from
someone outside can be very valuable; often we are stuck
with old ways of doing things and do not see outside the
box.
• New Skills: You can get additional support with your
business tasks in an area outside of your current
employee’s expertise e.g. marketing. If you take on a
marketing graduate on placement, they could develop your
strategy further and implement a marketing campaign, for
example. If you run a small company, you might not always
have staff with all the skills and competences necessary for
success in the international market.
• Intercultural Perspective: You have the chance to build
intercultural knowledge and skills in your company. In a
world that has become more and more internationalized,
knowledge of different cultures is very important to all
companies. To have someone from a different country and
culture not only benefits your company directly, but also
benefits your staff who can learn about new cultures and
Success story: SME
“My name is Umberto, I am
the co-owner of a consultancy
firm in Italy specializing in
web marketing and training
for the tourism and
enogastronomy sectors.
We ran into Erasmus SMP by
chance – an enterprising
Croatian graduate asked the
University of Genoa for the
database of businesses that
co-operate in traineeship
programmes (we have been
participating for 10 years):
thus, she sent through her
application with information
about the programme and red
tape involved – which to our
surprise is very little and
simple. Internationalization
plays a key role in our
activity, and the opportunity
of hosting a motivated and
resourceful graduate who can
act as an “insider” in order to
research a new market is
definitely interesting. We
proposed her a training task
plan and gave advice about
how to get prepared for the
placement, which will start in
October. Talent goes
international!”
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www.getmobileproject.eu
Whereas my degree has given me
excellent academic skills, it has not
given me experience in how to work
within an international
organization. During my placement
I will get acquainted with the daily
office work and get work
experience in an international
environment.
A placement trainee in Belgium
During my studies I spend some
time in Canada for an exchange
project. I am eager to continue
with that international pathway. I
have heard about placement
opportunities through the Get
Mobile project and I would
definitely like to learn more about
it!
A Dutch graduate interested in
placement opportunities
ways of thinking, and possibly learn some words/phrases in a new language!
Networking is crucial for businesses today; building up your client list and expanding your
business. By taking on a trainee you could make the first steps to building up new contacts and
networks in Europe and add value to your business.
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www.getmobileproject.eu
The chapter at a glance
For your SME, taking on a placement trainee from abroad is an excellent way to:
� Gain first-hand information about foreign markets and improve intercultural intelligence –
the keystones of successful internationalization
� Bring in fresh outsider ideas and perspectives on processes and activities
� Develop the company’s know hows and skills in strategic fields such as marketing
� Make the first steps to building up new contacts and networks in Europe
Useful Links & Templates
The official website of the We Mean Business Campaign, issued in 2012 by the European
Commission in order to raise awareness among European companies of the positive
benefits of hosting an Erasmus or Leonardo da Vinci trainee:
http://we-mean-business.europa.eu
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www.getmobileproject.eu
Success Story: Trainee
Hi, My name is Pınar, I graduated from
the City and Regional Planning
Department in Turkey.
During my studies, I wanted to develop
myself in the field of Geographical
Information Systems so I participated
in an Internship program with IAESTE.
I had an opportunity to work in the
Scottish Forestry Commission as a GIS
Developer Assistant for three months. It
was a wonderful experience in my life,.
It was very important to me to work
with people from different nations and
also meet a lot of different people. This
experience helped me to plan my future
in a very clear way. After my studies in
Surveying Engineering this internship
program made it much easier to find
jobs. Now, I am working as a GIS
Specialist in a private corporation and
doing what I wanted to in my
professional life.
4. Providing a female-friendly placement
environment
What do we mean by female-friendly? A female-friendly organization , according to the Equality
Commission,1) is a company which:
• Believes that women’s unique set of skills and experience are key to business success
• Has a clear strategy to increase the representation of women in the workplace
• Works to promote initiatives to support women in business and increase their confidence
• Has equal opportunity programmes in place to advance its female employees
Why is this important? Get Mobile is focusing on making sure that more female
graduates from under-represented areas are encouraged to
go abroad on placement to increase career prospects.
Gender inequality is a common issue women face when
they start working. The barriers are especially intense in
certain business sectors, such as science, business,
engineering and technology, which are traditionally male-
dominated. Research (World Bank, 2001) shows that:
• Young women are often discouraged to pursue careers in business and science compared with their male colleagues;
• Women in technical and scientific fields face isolation, lack of access to relevant social networks, mentors and lack of sponsorships
Benefits of being female-friendly The benefits of becoming a more female-friendly workplace
for all organisations include:
• Women are generally agreed to have different values than men do (Vivian Giang, 2012). Due to women’s higher levels of empathy, they are more likely to notice the needs of other employees contributing to create a more friendly work environment overall;
• Incorporating diverse gender talent to your team will highly expand your company’s market reach. Since 70% of women say that marketing doesn’t speak to them, they will provide your organisation with new and creative insights on how to target new and diverse market segments (Women Friendly Services, 2012);
• Women and men have different focus areas at work, for example women are more focused on developing long-term workplace skills than men, who are more likely to move on to better-paid jobs (Hobsons, 2005). This means women can contribute to the creation of a long-term business strategy for your company.
1) Equality Commission, 2007; Westminster University, 2012)
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Ways to improve the female-friendliness of your SME The barriers facing women as they try to find jobs in the fields of business, technology and science
often put them off from finding employment in those sectors. Once employed, barriers persist
throughout their career frequently preventing their advancement. There are several solutions which
companies can put in place to recruit and support the progression of women, particularly in under-
represented areas:
1. Focus on effective recruitment
Organizations need to ensure effective recruitment to capture the expanding number of
women interested in pursuing a career in science, business engineering and technology. This
can be achieved through targeting your placement advert or job vacancies, particularly to
recent female graduates in under-represented areas. Make sure your placement advert is
female-friendly! You also need to make sure you are recruiting and selecting trainees using the
same equality methods as with regular members of staff. For example, make sure that staff
involved in assessing applications or interviewing placement trainees have been through
equality training or awareness. You should also monitor your placement advert to see numbers
of men and women applying, to make sure your placement advert is equally attractive to both.
2. Retention – don’t let them go!
Encouraging talented females to progress in their career depends significantly on the work
environment. The ideal environment is hospitable and supportive to women, which is why
informal practices to value women’s contributions should be in place, e.g. mentoring during a
placement period.
Framework for assessing gender equitable organizations (World Bank, 2001)
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www.getmobileproject.eu
“The best memory of my mobility
experience was to get more
responsibility than expected in all
aspects. I also enjoyed nice non-
work related experiences, like
travelling around the country and
learning more about the culture of
the UK”.
A placement trainee in the UK
“What I liked most is the fact
that I had the opportunity to
develop a varied range of skills:
soft, cross-cultural and technical
– a booster for my CV”
A placement trainee from the
UK
3. Ensure gender equality!
Creating equal opportunities for the advancement and career development of women starting
out in their careers is a fundamental element of a female-friendly work environment.
By hosting female graduate trainees you and your organisation will be positively contributing to
the first and fundamental steps of their career advancement.
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www.getmobileproject.eu
The chapter at a glance
The benefits of becoming a more female-friendly workplace:
� Due to their higher levels of empathy, women are more likely to notice the needs of other employees contributing to create a more friendly work environment overall
� Incorporating diverse gender talent to your team will highly expand your company’s market reach - women will provide your organisation with new and creative insights on how to target new and diverse market segments;
� Women being more focused on developing long-term workplace skills, they can contribute to the creation of a long-term business strategy for your company
How to improve your company’s female-friendliness:
� Focus on effective recruitment - make sure your placement advert is female-friendly!
� Retention - encourage talented females to progress in their career by developing a suitable
work environment
� Ensure gender equality and equal opportunities for career growth
Useful Links & Templates
The official website of the EUROCHAMBRES Women Network project, particularly the
“publications” section
http://www.echwomennetwork.eu/Content/Default.asp
Here you can find examples of positive effects of diversity:
http://www.mckinsey.com/locations/paris/home/womenmatter.asp
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www.getmobileproject.eu
5. Cultural implications of hosting a placement trainee
Cultural differences, problems and solutions With placements abroad, a lot depends on the extent to which the trainee gets in contact with the
“habitat” (lifestyle, mindset, habits) of the hosting country. This is not limited only to language
issues – although fluency in the language does obviously help. Immersion means having the right
attitude and motivation, as well as an adequate set of soft skills - from communication to self-
confidence and adaptability. Placements abroad prove to be an effective way to develop these
skills, especially problem-solving and self-management. In this process that is both personal and
intercultural for trainees, the role of hosting organisations is central. Your SME represents the
trainee’s “practical handbook” in the world of work and also for the country’s identity and
environment (economic, social and cultural).
Having a mentor or coach in the organisation is key to
supporting the adaptation to a new culture. They should
support the trainee facilitating their integration into the
workplace as well as providing a set of practical details and
hints about daily living in the host country. As Mentors, it is
essential to keep in mind that culture and customs change from
country to country. What is considered as “the rule” in the
hosting state could be considered as “strange” and difficult to
understand elsewhere. For a Mentor, keeping the right balance
between independence and support (always avoiding
“parenting”) is essential in order to reduce the potential for
socio-cultural clash for the trainee. Trainees will then be able to
take the best out of the placement experience – know-how
about job styles and professionalism; insights into a new culture
and the capacity to handle change, diversity and uncertainty.
Company and country culture Organisations as well as countries have their own “culture” –
‘how we do things around here’. Business styles rely on a set of
rules, these vary from explicit to those which are unspoken. It
usually takes some time before a newcomer ‘fine tunes’ their
behaviour to fit in with the culture of the organisation, and this is
even more relevant for placement trainees from another
country. Being proactive helps: the selection and preparation
phases are essential in order to provide the trainee with
preliminary information on your organisation and country e.g.
brochures, websites, etc. so that they can begin to familiarise
themselves with your culture as soon as possible. Through the
support of the Mentor, as the placement starts and as the
trainee gets to know their colleagues, activities and city/town
that they will live in for the next few months, the process of
fitting in to your organisation and country culture can begin. The
induction process should normally take a few days, and include
items such as office procedures, IT systems, equipment and
filing systems etc.
Success Story: Trainee
“My name is Francesca, I am a
graduate in International Science
and Diplomatic Relations. I did not
know about mobility placements
until a friend told me. Having almost
no experience in the world of work,
the prospective was appealing –
improving my French and getting to
know a job environment at the same
time! I sent an application to the
Italian Chamber of Commerce in
Lyon: its role is to help Italian
companies that want to do
businesses abroad.
The answer was positive, the grant
awarded, the experience useful - I
had the opportunity of following an
internationalization project from
the beginning to the end. What I
liked the most is the fact that I had
the opportunity to develop a varied
range of skills: soft, cross-cultural
and technical – a booster for my
CV!”
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www.getmobileproject.eu
The chapter at a glance
� During a placement abroad the trainee gets in contact with the ”habitat” of the hosting
country and faces issues such as linguistic fluency, attitude/motivation, soft skills
(communication, problem solving, self-management)
� Hosting organisations represent the trainee’s “practical handbook” in the world of work as
well as in the country’s culture
� SMEs’ Mentors play the lead role in introducing trainees to the company’s habits and
business styles as well as facilitating their fine tuning with the country’s daily life and
identity
� Proactivity helps: provide the trainees with preliminary information on your organisation and
country so that they can begin to familiarise themselves with your culture while still at home
Useful Links & Templates
Useful studies related to business communication styles all over the world
http://www.globalnegotiationresources.com/
The portal of the EC DG for Employment, Social Affairs & Inclusion
http://ec.europa.eu/social/home.jsp
Help and advice for EU nationals and their family about travel, work/retirement, living
abroad, health and shopping. Featuring Citizens/Business versions.
http://europa.eu/youreurope/index.htm
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www.getmobileproject.eu
6. How to choose the trainee that’s right for your SME
You can use Get Mobile to search for suitable female trainees for your placement opportunity.
Register at www.getmobileproject.eu to find out how you can access the CVs of female graduates
in Business and Science looking to go on a placement abroad.
Just as selecting the right employee for the job is crucial in an
SME, so is choosing the right placement trainee. Follow these
steps to help you recruit the most suitable trainee for your
organisation.
1. Make sure you’re clear about the placement
opportunity you have on offer
If you’re not clear about what role/tasks/activities you
want the placement trainee to carry out during a
placement, then it will be difficult to make sure you’re
attracting the most suitable trainee with relevant skills
and interests. Make sure you prepare a Placement
Description (similar to a job description) which outlines
the placement role and typical tasks expected on the
placement. You can also prepare a Person
Description that shows trainees what criteria you think
are essential for the placement role and which ones
are desirable. This is also the chance to make it clear
to potential applicants about the conditions of the
placement – hours, any financial support available
from the organisation etc.
2. Make sure you’re advertising your placement in
the best places
You need to make sure that your placement
opportunity is being seen in the best places across
Europe, to attract the best candidates. There are
dedicated websites to advertise your placement
vacancies free of charge and you can also advertise
on www.getmobileproject.eu. Think about whether
you are looking for a particular skill, e.g. marketing,
and then you could approach Universities abroad
running placement programmes that will have
students or graduates in these areas. They can then
send trainees’ CVs for you to look through. You might
be looking for a trainee from a particular country to
help you expand your business in that country. You
can search for trainees by country on the online
databases e.g. in Get Mobile you can see what
country a placement trainee is from and where they
want to go on placement to. For a list of websites to
advertise your placement, please see Useful Links.
Success story: Trainee
My name is Katrin and I am a recent
graduate in European Studies from
Germany. I came to the UK to undertake a
placement abroad and worked as a
Project Assistant for Inova Consultancy in
Sheffield for six months. My decision for
coming to work in the UK was motivated
by increasing my employability after
graduation, gaining new experiences and
improving my language skills. I was very
happy to get a placement with Inova as
the company focuses on supporting
women in the labour market and female
entrepreneurs, and this was something I
was interested in. My placement with
Inova was very useful and I learned how
to deal with different aspects of office
work, such as how to write good business
e-mails or how to approach colleagues
and clients. The placement was also a
good life experience and an opportunity
to learn things about myself and gain
more self-confidence. As a small business,
Inova was able to offer me much more
responsibility than I expected, which
made this a truly beneficial experience for
me.
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www.getmobileproject.eu
“When customers provide positive
feedback about their experiences with
your graduates and see them as an
integral part of your team, you know
you made the right choice”.
SME in the UK, hosted a placement
trainee
3. Interview candidates on Skype before making your final decision
Just as with any recruitment process, you need to have as much information about the
placement trainee before you make your choice on who would be the most appropriate
trainee. Once you have looked through CVs, you should make your shortlist of candidates
you are interested in and then organize interviews with candidates to help you make the
final decision. Using Skype is the most cost effective way of interviewing candidates
abroad. Make sure you have your list of questions ready before speaking to candidates so
that you can ask each person the same and compare them fairly. Once you have
interviewed candidates you should get back to the successfull trainee as soon as possible.
Many placement trainees have to complete a placement as part of their course and have
tight deadlines for this, so they need to know from you if their application has or hasn’t been
successful as quickly as possible. It’s good practice to let those candidates know that
weren’t successful, again so that they can move on with applying to other organisations for
their placements.
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The chapter at a glance
� Use Get Mobile to search for suitable female trainees for your placement opportunity -
register at www.getmobileproject.eu!
� Follow these steps to help you recruit the most suitable trainee for your organisation
� Make sure you’re clear about the placement opportunity you have on offer: prepare a
Placement Description (similar to a job description) which outlines the placement role and
typical tasks expected on the placement
� Make sure you’re advertising your placement in the best places: your placement
opportunity is to be seen in the best places across Europe to attract the best candidates
� Interview candidates on Skype before making your final decision: it is the most cost
effective way of interviewing candidates abroad
Useful Links & Templates
Hints and templates for recruiting staff, focused on SMEs support needs
http://www.smetoolkit.org/smetoolkit/en/category/937/Recruiting-Hiring
Eures homepage
http://ec.europa.eu/eures/home.jsp?lang=en
Get Mobile homepage
http://getmobileproject.eu
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7. Hosting a placement trainee – before your
trainee starts
Communication between SME and trainee before their
arrival Before the trainee arrives, clear communication between the trainee
and your company is very important to prevent difficulties and
misunderstandings occurring later on. Try and send the trainee
general information about the company, town or area. If you decide to
take on another trainee placement in the future, then it could be the
role of the current placement to inform the next trainee about these
aspects, in order to put the new trainee at ease.
Once you have made a decision about hosting a trainee, it is very
important to prepare staff and provide them with information about the
new team member. Staff should be encouraged to make the trainee
feel at home and help her fit into the workplace. A good idea is to
have a special induction programme for her in the beginning (as you
would with any new starter), a tour of your company and to meet all
staff, not only on company premises but also ideally in a social setting.
You also need to prepare for the trainee’s arrival by making sure that
a workspace is ready e.g. desk, computer and Internet access. A
warm welcome to the workplace is very important so the trainee will
feel at home from the beginning, and settle into their placement
quickly.
Practical information for the trainee before she arrives You can decide on the amount and type of information to provide for
trainees before their placement. For example, you could provide
practical information regarding accommodation, insurance, social
services, health care and banking. It is usually easiest to provide a list
of useful websites for trainees to be able to look through before they
travel so that they can feel more prepared and ask any questions that
are worrying them before they arrive.
Mentoring during the placement period
Ideally, you will appoint a member of staff to be a Mentor for the
trainee. As with all members of staff, the Mentor needs to know about
the trainee (their past skills and experiences) in order to help them
settle in and make sure that she is getting the most out of the
placement experience. The Mentor can send a short introduction
email to the trainee before she arrives so that they can get to know
each other.
Success story: SME
“My name is Olga, and I am the
Managing Director of Militos
Emerging Technologies & Services
in Greece. Militos is an innovative
firm that renders high quality
consulting services. Our
fundamental objective is that the
collaborations we choose are
unique, regardless of their
duration and magnitude. We
strongly support the practice of
work placement trainees, having a
clear picture of the benefits for
both the trainees and the
companies, especially small and
medium enterprises. Actually, we
are well known for training our
people from scratch! See…
qualifications are not limited to a
CV. It is not by chance that Militos
regularly hosts trainees, who
eventually turn out to become
either our full employees or we
have secured a job placement for
them in another company where
they were given the opportunity to
widen their career horizons. It is
our philosophy in doing business
and working with people from all
over Europe, getting the
satisfaction of giving guidance to
them, while raising the profile of
the company. It is actually a case
of thinking outside of the box,
making the best out of our
business aspirations, by treasuring
talent and commitment wherever
it comes from.
Is it worth it? For sure!”
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“I find mobility
opportunities an
exciting option for our
company. We will
certainly look into the
possibilities with the
help of GET mobile”
SME in Iceland,
interested in mobility.
“Internationalization plays a
key role in our activity, and the
opportunity of hosting a
motivated and resourceful
graduate who can act as an
“insider” in order to research a
new market is definitely
interesting”
SME in Italy, hosted a
placement trainee
Supporting trainees to build a social network
Social networking is important for the trainee, so preparation before she arrives is important.
When the trainee arrives, it is important for the Mentor to introduce her to the local area; how to get
to work; where to shop; where the hospital is etc. The Mentor should be aware of different cultural
backgrounds and inform the trainee about the culture in the new country. You can put your trainee
in touch with local organisations who could provide activities for international students, for
example, to help them meet new people.
Managing trainees’ expectations When speaking to SMEs who have successfully
hosted several placement trainees, managing
expectations comes up as something that is
crucial to ensure a successful experience
for both trainees and companies. Trainee
expectations can vary greatly from one
trainee to another. Expectations can
include: increasing their knowledge of
different cultures; learning a new
language; strengthening their network; or
simply increasing their skills in the
workplace. In order to try and meet these
varied expectations, you need to have some
information from the trainee about what they are
hoping to gain from their placement experience
(ideally discussed at recruitment stage), before the
placement trainee is selected by the host organisation.
Managing company expectations It is important that you are clear about what the trainee should
focus on during her placement period. Whilst there is
obviously flexibility with any placement period, it is ideal to
provide a placement description in advance with a list of
some of the tasks and activities expected to be carried out
by the trainee. It is also useful to provide a Memorandum of
Understanding or placement agreement between the
placement trainee and your organisation which outlines
place and hours of work, dress codes, any financial
contributions to be made, monitoring and disciplinary
procedures. This agreement can then be signed by both the
trainee and your organisation to provide a formal record.
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The chapter at a glance
� Pre-arrival 1: clear communication prevents difficulties and misunderstandings occurring
later on. Send the trainee general information about the company, town or area, customs
and culture as well as practical information and useful links
� Pre-arrival 2: prepare staff and provide them with information about the new team member,
including ensuring that a workspace is ready
� Select and train a Mentor
� Support trainees to build a social network
� Manage trainees’ and company expectations – shun improvisation!
Useful Links & Templates
The website of this EU LLP projects provides templates and check lists dedicated to SME Mentors. http://www.evta.net/eumoveportal/startpage_-3.html
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8. Hosting a placement trainee – the first few weeks
Hosting a placement trainee can be an enriching experience for both trainee and host organisation.
We’ve put together some information here to help you make the most of your trainee’s time with
you.
Introducing the company It’s important that the placement trainee understands your business – its aims, customers and
working culture. Most companies find it useful to arrange an introductory meeting with their trainee
to cover the basics about the role and expectations. This meeting should include topic such as:
1. The what, where, why and how of your company
• Company history and current circumstances (how you were set up, how you got to
where you are now)
• Your business objectives and target customers
2. Your team and working culture
• Organisation and team structure (who they’ll be working with)
• Working hours and breaks
• Location of amenities (e.g. toilets, canteen etc.)
• Health and safety at work
• Company's expectations of behaviour (cover issues like confidentiality, communication
within the team, any information about disciplinary procedures)
3. Managing the trainee’s development
• Clarify their role (what they will be doing, where they fit within your organisation)
• Any training schedules (do they need to have training to perform in their role?)
• Feedback or appraisal plan (many companies like to conduct an initial review after the
first few weeks/months, depending on the length of placement, followed by a second
one further into the placement)
A useful tip:
Good practice is to assign a specific project to the placement
trainee that matches their skills, abilities and interests. This
means think “tasks not tea” (CIPD, 2012, p.16). It is important
to keep trainees active and engaged with the organisation,
ensuring a positive and encouraging work experience.
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The chapter at a glance
� Introduce your company - the placement trainee is to understand your business – its aims,
customers and working culture
� Hot topics:
• The “what, where, why and how” of your company
• Your team and working culture
• Management of the trainee’s development
� Assign a specific project to the placement trainees - keep them active and engaged with the
organisation
Useful Links & Templates The website of this EU LLP projects provides templates and check lists dedicated to SMEs Mentors. http://www.evta.net/eumoveportal/startpage_-3.html
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www.getmobileproject.eu
9. Hosting a placement trainee - support and monitoring
Ongoing support In general terms, a placement represents a transition between study and work. Very often, being
on placement in an organisation will be a completely new experience for the trainee. The trainee
should be accepted as an equal part of the team, with similar responsibilities. This is an advantage
in small businesses, where tasks and responsibilities are often shared between small numbers of
staff.
Monitoring during the placement period Once the placement trainee is familiar with the day-to-day practise of the company, a monitoring
system should be put in place to review the achievements, progress and possible challenges
encountered during the placement. The trainee should be assisted by a mentor or tutor selected by
the company, who acts as a contact point. This role would suit someone in the company wanting to
develop their training skills. Mentors need to provide trainees with:
• Regular reviews and guidance
• Feedback, praise and recognition (constructive criticism where necessary)
• Open dialogue
• On-going support
Networking Networking plays an important part in the placement experience. Try and make sure that the
trainee:
• Is connected with all the other staff members
• Is aware of other staff members’ tasks and responsibilities.
• Knows who to ask for day to day questions or if they want to discuss their personal and professional development further.
From the point of view of external networking, the trainee should be aware of both customers and
business partners. This network building should not only be encouraged for business reasons, but
also as an opportunity for trainees to develop potential career links for their future.
A useful tip:
A placement period should be planned out before
the trainee arrives. It doesn’t get things off to a
strong start otherwise. For the initial weeks, a
task list is recommended, as well as support with
prioritizing tasks to help the trainee into the day
to day routine of working in your company.
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The chapter at a glance
� Always remember that a placement represents a transition between study and work
� A monitoring system is useful to review the achievements, progress and possible
challenges encountered during the placement
� The Mentor should assist the trainee also as regards networking – both internal (staff) and
external (customers and partners)
� Preliminary planning and task lists do prove useful during the first weeks
Useful Links & Templates The website of this EU LLP projects provides templates and check lists dedicated to SMEs Mentors. http://www.evta.net/eumoveportal/startpage_-3.html
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“It is not choosing a job, it is
about choosing a way of
life”
A placement trainee from
Turkey
10. Hosting a placement trainee – evaluation and follow-up
It is good practice to carry out some kind of ‘exit interview’ with placement trainees. This could be
part of a final monitoring/appraisal review meeting between you and the trainee. This provides the
chance for trainees to give you their opinion on how the placement went overall, what they liked
and disliked and any ways it could be improved for future trainees. Many trainees have to write a
report for their funding programme which they could also share with you, although it should be kept
in mind that this is likely to be in their native language.
It is always interesting to find out where past placement trainees go on to work following their
placement period in your company. For many trainees, this could include going on to further or
higher study, going into paid work or voluntary work, or deciding to complete a different placement
to try out another area of work. If you can keep in touch with your former placement trainees it
forms a useful way of showing future trainees that you’re a friendly place to work, as well as
building up your contacts across Europe as the trainee moves on in their career. If you have a
Facebook, Twitter or Linkedin account, make sure placement trainees are signed up as members
and followers, as well as signed up for your company newsletters. Many trainees like to follow what
your company is involved in after completing their placement period. For women working in under-
represented fields it is especially important to keep involved in networks across Europe to progress
their careers.
Interested in finding out more about taking on a
female placement trainee from abroad?...
Are you ready to get started?....then Get Connected!
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The chapter at a glance
� Carry out some kind of ‘exit interview’ with placement trainees
� Keep in touch with your former placement trainees - it is a useful way of showing future
trainees that you’re a friendly place to work, as well as building up your contacts across
Europe as the trainee moves on in their career.
Useful Links & Templates
The website of this EU LLP projects provides templates and check lists dedicated to SMEs Mentors. http://www.evta.net/eumoveportal/startpage_-3.html
Tapping into European Talent Best Practice guide for SMEs
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www.getmobileproject.eu
This guidebook is intended as an introductory guide to hosting a placement trainee and Get Mobile accepts
no liability for actions taken by individuals and organisations as a result of reading this guidebook.