Internships have been traditionally considered as a very important instrument to bring students closer to the enterprise world. There are several benefits that can be observed from internships. They can implement theoretical knowledge, tools, and concepts acquired at university, thereby improving understanding of the knowledge from a more practical perspective. Also, students can improve employability opportunities. It happens often that, when students perform well during the internships, the hosting company provides them employment opportunities.
The interest of students in Albania on professional training at BALFIN Group and its companies is always on the rise. In the second call of B4Students, which supports students in vocational training, entrepreneurship, infrastructure, and social clubs, over 800 applications were sent within 4 weeks by students from various universities across the country to attend the Internship and Employment Program in the period June – August 2024, organized in partnership with BALFIN Group and 12 of its companies.
Over 60 students have started internships after completing the application evaluation process and selection by Human Resources experts of companies where students have applied, such as BALFIN Group, Tirana Bank, ACREM (which manages TEG and QTU), BALFIN Construction, Neptun Albania, SPAR Albania, Stella Mare etc.
The high number of applications in this second call is mainly a result of the positive experience conveyed by the students participating in the previous call. B4Students, powered by the BALFIN Group, is a program that empowers students in the country through its 4 components: Professional Internships and Employment, Entrepreneurship, Social Clubs, and Investments in the Infrastructure of Public Higher Education Institutions. In partnership with the companies of BALFIN Group, it was evaluated that the Internship and Employment Program by B4Students for 2024 is organized twice, including the period September – December. Applications for the third call will be open during August.
Internships at BALFIN Group help students learn all about workplace culture, employee relations, and leadership structure, which should help them on board in their first professional job with more ease than if they haven’t had previous professional experience. Research shows that students have better chances to find a job after successful conclusion of the internships, due to acquired experience, reflected in know-how as well as enriched CVs. From the previous cohorts at BALFIN Group, student internships have enabled more intensive interaction between supervising staff and have given birth to joint interest for cooperation beyond internships, such as research on solving problems of the company.
