Bridgestone
Businesses can take advantage of highly-skilled overseas graduates working for them, thanks to AIESEC’s Access Global Talent programme. Bridgestone Tyres, whose UK head office is on Tachbrook Park in Leamington Spa, have recently participated in the scheme.
Justyna Fron, 24-year-old graduate from Rzeszow, Poland joined Bridgestone on a year-long placement, working on IT support and related projects.
The AIESEC programme delivers graduates who typically have one or two years of working experience in either Marketing, Sales, IT, Finance, Business or Engineering. Justyna herself has much IT experience in her own country – she worked in technical support for 17 months, and has completed a year placement on data warehouse projects, alongside studying IT at universities in Poland and Spain.
Bridgestone are keen to inject internationally minded young potential into their organisation as they complete a transformation from independently working country organisations to more centrally coordinated company with a European perspective – and this is where AIESEC comes in. The scheme has also been useful in filling skills gaps and completing projects.
“Bridgestone Europe are looking at ways in which we should recruit the next generation of management and a programme aimed at recruiting recently graduated people across Europe is a way which will help support this”, says Paul Lawrie, HR Director of Bridgestone UK. “AIESEC aided our recruitment process greatly, not only as a supplier of potential candidates, but also have assisted greatly with the transition of our employee from Poland to the UK and organising all the necessary legal and entrance documents. The employee has also found this to be of great benefit with introducing them to other people in the area and to help with the relocation to the UK. Therefore, not only have AIESEC assisted the Company, they also ensured that the employee is well looked after”.
Justyna is very much enjoying her time in the UK, meeting new people and experiencing UK culture. “Working and living in another country has had a huge impact on me personally”, she says. “It is of great satisfaction to me that I am making a useful contribution to the company. I know that I see things from a different point of view, but this is an important factor in the development of the company”.
AIESEC is a not-for-profit organisation run by students at 1700 universities in 107 countries and companies large and small in the UK benefit from AIESEC’s programme including Microsoft, Kraft Foods, HSBC and Cadbury, as well as SMEs. The placements can be between 2 and 18 months and can start when the company chooses. Companies find the scheme useful for filling skills gaps, completing project work, working with overseas clients (thanks to the international nature of the scheme) and expanding into new areas. In addition, the placements are hassle-free: AIESEC handle accommodation, work permits, visas, flights, NI numbers and other administration and look after the graduate while they are in the UK. AIESEC is run by students who look to further their business skills and experience through running the exchange programme and we have much expertise in helping incoming graduates adjust to UK life.