In the Best of the Best program, AmCham Slovenia identifies and rewards the best business practices at AmCham Slovenia member companies. The category Collaboration featured exceptional individuals and groups that spread knowledge, experience and optimism through networking, cooperation and trust. The winner in the Networking category is the Zavod Ypsilon for Intergenerational Cooperation, with its project Made with Y.
The following projects were presented in the category Collaboration:
- Bayer, Researcher for a Day
- Lek, Regional BioCamp and High-Potential Interns
- Ypsilon Institute for Intergenerational Cooperation, Made with Y
The title of winner in the category Collaboration and qualification for the finals for Best of the Best 2018 according to the judgement of the audience, the Best Practice Academy and the key-note listener went to Zavod Ypsilon and its Made with Y project.
After accepting the award, Manja Munda, representing the winning company Zavod Ypsilon, thanked everyone who voted for them and congratulated the other two entrants that presented their practices for doing good for society. “This victory is a confirmation that we are heading in the right direction, and that gives us new momentum to keep moving forward,” said Munda.
The key-note listener, Tjaša Kolenc Filipčič, Head of the Marketing Department at Zavarovalnica Triglav, said that when making her assessment she focused primarily on networking, and therefore she chose Zavod Ypsilon. “Zavod Ypsilon and its team bring together various highly demanding stakeholders, and for that reason the project has a lot of potential. I would like to see them continue in an even wider network,” said Kolenc Filipčič.
“With increasing robotization and digitalization, our only competitive advantage is empathy and connections. Networking and establishing nodes of cooperation are also two of AmCham Slovenia’s key focuses, therefore I am extremely pleased when we get the opportunity to see the care and commitment that our members bring to this. We can learn so much from this,” said Ajša Vodnik, CEO of AmCham Slovenia.
“I believe that the result of cooperation and the development of joint projects is not just increased reach and a larger final outcome, but that we are also taking an important step towards building a society based on a culture of cooperation and connection. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree; if we can do it, those who come after us will as well – and we should be motivated by that,” said Nina Marinšek, Head of Membership and Partnerships at AmCham Slovenia and head of the Best of the Best project.
The winning project:
Ypsilon Institute for Intergenerational Cooperation, Made with Y
The Made With Y project brings young job-seekers into contact with various stakeholders and provides them with opportunities for personal and professional development. The program’s target group is people between the ages of 15 and 29 who are seeking their first employment, and therefore the program attracts both students and unemployed young people. By creating links among non-governmental organizations, the Employment Service, the University of Ljubljana, CEED Slovenia and the business sector, the Y Institute offers young job-seekers the information and connections they need to make a smooth transition onto the labor market. Through a series of workshops they equip young people with the skills needed to secure a job and active citizenship. After a basic acquisition of competences, they connect them with the corporate world, where they have the opportunity to meet and network with potential future employers. Since they encounter a lot of employed millennials in the course of the project, they will be working in cooperation with the University of Ljubljana and Slovenian and foreign companies and young people to conduct a study of millennials in the workplace. Through the successful cooperation of various stakeholders they have already created more than 30 jobs for young people, and they hope to develop the program to the point where Generation Y represents a successful and satisfied workforce of the future.
You can see the photos of the event at our Facebook page.
Panagiotis Alekos about the importance of collaboration
Ana Čuk about the importance of collaboration
Manja Munda about the importance of collaboration
