Work life balance a key focus for future graduates

Vodafone launches new 2018 intern and graduate programmes with an increased focus on technology.

A recent survey by Vodafone Ireland brought to light what young people desire in their careers after graduation; the most important aspects are – a work life balance and job satisfaction.

Over a third (37%) said that a good work life balance will be the most important thing when choosing a future career followed by job satisfaction (26%) and salary (21%).

The research into future careers was carried out among students aged 15-24 to launch Vodafone’s new 2018 graduate programme.  The new programme has been restructured to provide even more young adults with opportunities to work at Vodafone and to prepare them for their future careers in an ever-changing world.

New additions to the youth programme include a third level internship programme which focuses on providing students with a placement opportunity for 2-6 months as part of their college course, focusing on technical and digital skills.

Also, in response to growth and demand for technical skills, the highly coveted 18-month graduate programme has now divided into two separate streams. One stream will continue to focus on commercial areas including marketing, finance and commercial operations. A newly added stream will focus solely on technical and engineering disciplines, providing 3 six-month rotations across all aspect of technology within the business. This will allow technical graduates to experience a full product life-cycle during the programme. Given the changing nature of the work thanks to the rapid progress of technology, both streams are designed to prepare young adults for a future which looks nothing like today.

To apply for Vodafone’s internship and graduate programmes today visit https://n.vodafone.ie/careers.html

Apply for a job that doesn’t exist yet

According to the Vodafone research, 72% of those questioned believe that technology will play a fundamental role in their future career but 90% say they think technology will have changed by the time they graduate.

Marketing & advertising (16%), communications (10%) education (10%) IT & software development (10%) are the most desired sectors to work in for those polled.

As technology continues to evolve, there are now a number of jobs that didn’t exist previously. Vodafone asked respondents what their dream job would be from a selected list of ‘new’ jobs. Of those questioned 16% would like to be a social media manager, 8% would like to become an Artificial Intelligence specialist and 7% would like to work in app development.

Commenting on the programme, James Magill, Human Resources Director at Vodafone Ireland said: “At Vodafone, our people are at the centre of everything we do and our goal is to ensure each employee has the opportunity to grow, to be challenged and to feel they are making a difference. As Ireland’s leading total communications provider, we are constantly evolving and we want to attract the very best talent to ensure we continue to foster a culture of excellence and innovation.”

“We have restructured our work placement programmes to provide more opportunities for both third level students and graduates.  We passionately believe these programmes will help prepare the participants for a future which will be very different to today.

“Those selected to take part in our programmes will receive on the job training, one-to-one mentoring, exposure to all aspects of our business and have the chance to be part of a global community of Vodafone graduates.”

Voted as one of the best places to work in Ireland, and with an award-winning approach to wellbeing and diversity. Vodafone will partner with colleges across the country to select 20 students to take part in the programme.

If you would like to have your company featured in the Irish Tech News Business Showcase, get in contact with us at Simon@IrishTechNews.ie or on Twitter: @SimonCocking