“Becoming an innovator requires a visionary idea, business sense and, of course, an opportunity to make it happen”, said MEP Eva Paunova during the opening of the second edition of the National Internship program of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. “I would like to thank the Council for ensuring such opportunity for the young people of Bulgaria”, Ms Paunova added.

MEP Eva Paunova was a guest of the official opening of the “Innovators of the future – Trainees 2016” competition which is part of the Council’s National Internship program “We are staying in Bulgaria”. “Bulgaria is not the largest country but it is in our hands to make it a country of talents, innovations and innovators”, Ms Paunova, who is the patron of the Program, stated.

Among the official guests were Dr. Yordanka Chobanova – advisor for European affairs of the President of the Republic of Bulgaria, Mr. Dushan Riban – COO of CEZ Bulgaria, Ms Miroslava Marinska – the winner of last year’ edition of the contest, media representatives. The event was moderated by Ms Vanya Kaneva – Human resources Director of CEZ Bulgaria and member of the Management Board of Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria.

„The second edition of the National Internship program is taking place in a moment when the businesses are realizing the significance of the highly qualified traineeship programs which encourage and support youth employment and professional development of the young people in Bulgaria”, said Ms Boryana Manolova, Chairperson of the Council of Women and CEO of Siemens Bulgaria.

“We are staying in Bulgaria” is the largest internship initiative in Bulgaria providing the widest range of opportunities for trainees in all economic sectors in the country – finance, energy sector, public administration, healthcare, manufacturing, high technologies, services.

“The program gives the young people an opportunity to demonstrate their professional capabilities, to emerge in a real business environment, to have a chance for professional growth and to be encouraged for continuing their professional development here in Bulgaria”, Ms Manolova added.

“The business is characterized by dynamics while in the same time the companies often complain of the lack of qualified employees especially in the field of engineering”, Mr. Riban noted. He emphasized the importance of traineeship programs as an excellent opportunity for a career start.
Ms. Yordanka Chobanova appealed to the young people in Bulgaria to never stop dreaming. “All the people who are part of the history of innovations had dared to think out of the box”, she said.
In an emotional speech Ms Miroslava Marinska expressed her gratitude to the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria for organizing the National Internship program. She asked her coevals to believe that there is a real chance for professional development here in Bulgaria. Miroslava also thanked MEP Eva Paunova for her visit in the European parliament as a winner of the last year’s competition.
In the second national competition “Innovators of the future – Trainees 2016” are entitled to participate Bulgarian and foreign students holding bachelor or master degree, pupils in their last year in the school, talented young people with businees sense and creative ideas.
The deadline for applying is May 20 2016 on http://internships.womeninbusiness.bg/
The participants in the contest could apply in the following four categories: ecology and urban environment; next generation financial services, innovation and technologies, transport and logistics.

The main criteria for evaluation of the competing projects will be effectiveness, creativity, level of applicability of the idea, structure and presentation. The competing projects will be evaluated by a Committee consisting of representatives of the Managing Board of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria as well as representatives of leading Bulgarian companies.

The winners of the contest will be awarded 2-month paid traineeship in some of the biggest companies in Bulgaria from public and state sector for the summer 2016. The projects winning the first place in each of the categories will be awarded with a special prize provided by the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria – a visit in European parliament in Brussels, participation in member companies’ internal corporate trainings, coupons for shopping in big trade chains, visit in Kozlodui nuclear power plant, Nestle Bulgaria, Prestige-96, and many others.