Ljubljana, September 3, 2015

Ljubljana, September 3, 2015. On September 3, 2015, a certificate awards ceremony concluded the 4th generation of Summer Economics Institute (SEI) internship program. Seventeen participant students received their certificates from the U.S. ambassador in Slovenia, HE. Brent R. Hartley.

For the fourth consecutive year, the SEI internship program, organized by the U.S. Embassy in Ljubljana and the American Chamber of Commerce in Slovenia (AmCham Slovenia), has given seventeen selected undergraduate students the opportunity to do a four-week long internship with AmCham Slovenia member companies. The first week of the internship program consists of lectures on the basics of economics and entrepreneurship, by an American expert Paul R. Sullivan. The program is also enriched with several visits to successful Slovenian companies.

In the first week, Slovenian university students from various courses learned about entrepreneurship and prepared business plans for their business ideas with the help of U.S. expert Paul R. Sullivan. The students visited several Slovenian companies (BTC d.d., Outfit 7, ABC Accelerator), participated in a workshop on how to find your first employment, organized by Moje Delo, and learned about the macroeconomic situation in Slovenia through a lecture by Boštjan Vasle, UMAR. At the end of week 1, participants presented their business ideas, while the best two teams (FundEve and Timbex) also presented their ideas at the final event.

U.S. Ambassador in Slovenia, H.E. Brent R. Hartley gave the following message to students at the awards ceremony: “You all will be the drivers of Slovenia’s economic future. Your fresh ideas and your new perspectives will help transform the companies already here…and hopefully will lead to the startup of new business ventures that create jobs, tackle challenges, and move Slovenia forward. I believe in you and we’re counting on you.”

For the remaining four weeks of July, students were doing internships with AmCham Slovenia member companies and were thus gathering their first work and professional experience. Some of the students were even offered employment, which is particularly important nowadays. The Summer Economics Institute is a program that allows students to become familiar with the labor market, prospective employers and to gain experience crucial for their career development. On the other hand, the program enables employers to get in touch with aspiring students who need to undergo a selection process to take part in the SEI.

Michele Leonardi, Executive Director of operations at IBM, a mentor to one of the students, said: “I can say that the cooperation was very good. We will continue hosting the training program. It is important to have faith in people and businesses, as it is about learning from each other.”

Mag. Ajša Vodnik, Executive Director of AmCham Slovenia, pointed out that she believes in the program mainly due to the integration of proactive young people and successful companies: “Successful stories of previous generations of SEI students, who are still employed in enterprises where they did their internship, are the best proof of the successful integration from both sides.”

This year’s AmCham member companies participating in the SEI internship program were: IBM, Moje Delo, Aviat, Bisnode, Competo, Droga Kolinska, Odvetnik (Lawyer) Urban Vrtačnik, Goodyear Dunlop Sava Tires, STA Travel, Microsoft, Startus Group, Philip Morris, Studio Moderna, špica International and ABC Accelerator.

»SEI program is a wonderful experience, as you meet many new people, get to know the business environment, you learn a lot. It is great, because you gain experience you could not get elsewhere. You get a lot from the program and are more qualified after completing it,” said Nika Radelj Remic about her experience as an SEI intern at Goodyear Sava Dunlop Tires.

Tarik Jouhari, an intern at špica International, recommended the program to everyone: »SEI internship program was one of the best experiences. I learned a lot about entrepreneurship and met interesting people. I would recommend SEI to all students.”

You can find the photo gallery HERE.

More information:

Petra Kocjan, Advocacy and Communication Manager, petra.kocjan@amcham.si, phone: +386 8 205 13 51