Benvenuti! Process Factory takes pride in helping young people get a good start in their professional lives – including Italian students studying IT in Naples.
By Rita Modberg
So, it was an easy decision to say yes when a request for an autumn company visit from the technical high school Alessandro Volta landed in CEO Susanne Møllegaard’s inbox.
Just a few weeks later, 15 young Italian IT students knocked on her door – full of curiosity and armed with plenty of good questions. Susanne Møllegaard answered openly, addressing everything from coding and products to business goals and the company’s vision.
“We aim to support the development of young IT talents in various ways. For example, we have a practice of hosting 2-3 students from relevant educational institutions each semester. But we have a wide reach, so it’s also natural for us to welcome international students,” explains Susanne Møllegaard.
The Danish Job Market is Attractive
The Alessandro Volta Technical High School offers a four-year education for young people between the ages of 16 and 19, focusing on various fields such as software development, electronics, and robotics.
The school combines traditional classroom teaching with technical subjects. Additionally, an international stay that includes company visits is an integral part of the curriculum during the final year – this time in Copenhagen. Judging by the guests’ questions and comments, they could easily see themselves returning.
One thing that particularly impressed them was the Danish work ethic, the work environment, and the mutual respect between management and employees.
“The Danish job market is generally attractive, and this gives the IT sector a good foundation to look beyond borders regarding recruitment. We’re experiencing increasing internationalization among our clients, which also influences their demands of us as an IT supplier and part of their value chain,” says Susanne Møllegaard.
From Internships to Permanent Employment
According to figures from the IT Industry Association, 63% of Danish IT companies see the lack of skilled professionals as the biggest barrier to growth. One in three companies has had to give up filling IT positions because there were no applicants.
Process Factory has previously advocated for opening more spots in IT education, instead of turning away many eager young people.
“At the same time, we are strong advocates of helping the next generation enter the job market through internships and student jobs – and from experience, we know that in many cases this can successfully lead to permanent employment,” says Susanne Møllegaard.
The Future is Open
Fabrizio, Denise, and Luca are three of the Italian IT students who visited Process Factory as part of their IT studies.
When they finish their four-year education at Alessandro Volta next summer, they will have the skills to either enter the job market or continue their studies at university. The decision hasn’t been made yet, but in the long term, they are very open to employers in other EU countries – ideally with the possibility of working remotely.
During their visit to Copenhagen and Process Factory, they were particularly impressed by the Danish work ethic, the work environment, and the respect between management and employees.
Photo: Fabrizio, Denise og Luca.
