Professional development, upgrading and testing one’s knowledge in the real world and international environment, honing knowledge of German and English, increasing the portfolio of international contacts, getting to know the banking world from the inside, and working in one of the largest Austrian banks… this is just a small part of the great opportunities that the ‘Best of South-East’ program opens up again this year.
Given the success of previous years, the Austrian bank Steiermärkische Sparkasse has launched the ‘Best of South-East’ program for the academic year 2016/2017, in collaboration with the University of Graz, aimed at talented, hardworking, and ambitious graduates and students from Slovenia, Croatia, BiH, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia. In Croatia, it is implemented by Erste&Steiermärkische banka. Applications for the competition are open from March 1, and law and economics students who are eligible for a scholarship of up to 10,000 euros can apply as part of the program. In other words, they do not have to worry about organization, logistics, and costs.
– We have excellent feedback from students who attended the scholarship program. They improved their German language skills, made lifelong friends, completed challenging internships, and more. This shows us that we are on the right track and motivates us to continue this initiative – states Vladimir Dujić, head of the Selection and Development Department at Erste&Steiermärkische banka.
More than a hundred candidates ‘Best of South-East’ has been running since 2008 to provide added value to excellent and gifted students and graduates. It is intended for graduates and students with very good grades and pronounced characteristics such as dedication, developed communication skills, and analytical and practical economic thinking. Its goal is to provide participants with insight into how to connect university education with business practice through an integrated approach, enabling them to gain international work experience, further advancement, and education. And it succeeds in this, as confirmed by the experiences of previous participants.
– The scholarship provides new challenges, stepping out of the comfort zone and everyday monotony of students. With a dynamic atmosphere in the bank, combined with the cultural scene and education at one of the oldest universities in Austria, you can constantly improve and advance – emphasizes Boris Pivić, one of the program participants who underwent training in the academic year 2014/2015.
He, like other candidates, had to meet minimum criteria that include excellent knowledge of English and good knowledge of German, native language, a degree with very good grades, dedication, good communication skills, flexibility, analytical and practical economic thinking.
Internships and training In the entire region, an average of more than a hundred candidates who meet all the requirements apply. On average, there are 15 candidates from Croatia with all the conditions who prepare their applications, and in the last eight years, 15 candidates from Croatia have completed the program. In each country, three candidates are selected to compete in the final for ten places in the program. There are no strict quotas by country; rather, the best are truly sought. The selection includes representatives from Steiermärkische Sparkasse and the University of Graz, and candidates are chosen based on motivation letters, academic success, and letters of recommendation. Special attention is paid in the motivation letter to their interests and personal motivation for applying to the program.
There are two options for the program: Trainee and Internship, i.e., training. Thus, graduates or students from economic or law faculties at universities in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and Macedonia, or students at Austrian universities coming from these countries have the opportunity to undergo training or internship at Steiermärkische Sparkasse Bank or another Styrian company. Selected subjects at the University of Graz round out the academic training and education of students. Therefore, students who were still in undergraduate studies at the time of application can only apply for the internship program. Those enrolled in a student program not aligned with the Bologna system (which combines undergraduate and graduate programs) who are in the second part of their studies (fourth or fifth year) can apply for the training program. It should be noted that selected candidates in this case will be enrolled in an undergraduate program at the University of Graz. When it comes to graduates, those who have completed their undergraduate studies by the time of application or have already enrolled in a graduate program can apply for both the training program and the internship program. Both programs last one year, from September 2016 to August 2017, and all participants are provided, among other things, with the opportunity to participate in exclusive social and cultural events and access to the ‘Best of South-East’ alumni club.
