At a time when recruitment has become somewhat of a challenge for companies, Centrale Lille has been called upon by its partners who seek to better understand students’ expectations in terms of internships and employability: what makes sense for them, what they are particularly attentive to, and how to attract and then retain them.
In response to this request, the institution chose to organise informal exchanges between students and companies. A discussion took place on Tuesday 14 February at the ITEEM: 8 students back from their 8-month internship abroad in Indonesia, Slovakia, Spain, Malaysia and Cambodia presented their experiences to 4 partner companies: Sopra Steria, Adeo, Projexion and Oney.
“For me, what’s important with an internship or a future job is integration, the trust given to me, the interest and meaning of the missions, having a real place within the company, and the added value provided by my skills” explained fourth-year student Bruce Kasmi. These spontaneous, candid comments were appreciated by the companies present.
Furthermore, this initial feedback showed that the versatility and autonomy of ITEEM students, along with their interdisciplinary training, was a real advantage in terms of the completion and outcome of their internship.