• They spoke about their success paths, the need of lifelong learning and the internship as a career springboard
• The application deadline for the National Internship Initiative has been extended

The member of European parliament Eva Maydell and the PR expert Lubomir Alamanov met the trainees from member companies of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria. This was the first meeting of the young.LEADERS.talk series within the Council’s National Internship Initiative. The purpose of the events is to enable interns to meet their role models – from political leaders and top managers of leading companies to young professionals and entrepreneurs – and draw lessons from their personal stories.

“The National Internship Initiative of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria is a unique opportunity, and you have to use it”, said  Eva Maydell who is the patron of the initiative. She believes that the relationships built between the participants are very important and that the internship itself could predetermine the future career path. ”I am very glad to partner the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria because we share a common goal –  to encourage talented people stay in Bulgaria and to improve the country’s image”, added Mrs. Maydell. She pointed to the Council’s member companies as an example of how important it is to invest in people.

Mrs. Maydell shared her own experience as a NGO trainee in Italy where she studied. She highlighted the preconditions for success  – to believe in yourself, to want to learn throughout all your life and to challenge yourself all the time. “Today, to succeed, you have to go beyond your own expectations”, Eva Maydell added. In her opinion as today’s world is very dynamic the ability to change ourselves is very important for the career.

The Chairwoman of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria and CEO of Siemens Bulgaria, Dr. Eng. Boriana Manolova expressed her gratitude to Eva Maydell for supporting the National Internship Initiative. In her opinion Mrs. Maydell is an example of how young people could become successful with hard work.

Lubomir Alamanov spoke about his own experience as a trainee, his career and the massive change in the communications influenced by the social networks. He believes that the traineeship programs could provide unique opportunities to young people. “In our company we have had 500 trainees. For an intern it is not so important to know a lot but rather to have a desire to learn”, said Mr. Alamanov. “Get used to the lifelong learning”, added the PR specialist.

He said also that the social media have changed the way of thinking of people who are now involved in the communications. “Building communities where you can speak with each other is the future of communications”, stated Alamanov. In his opinion the most important preconditions for reaching success are the willingness to work and learn, to change yourself and  overcome the fear of failure.

Since many trainees are now starting their internships in the member companies of the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria, the Management Board has decided to extend the deadline for participation in the essay competition within the National Internship Initiative until 31 July.

For the fourth consecutive year, the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria has been organizing the National Internship Initiative “Stay in Bulgaria”. The program is oriented towards the youngest professionals and will enable them once again to prove their qualities and skills, to get involved into the real business and to find opportunities for development along with suitable environment and a stimulus for their professional realization in Bulgaria. The initiative is under the patronage of Mrs. Eva Maydell, MEP.

In 2018 the Council of Women in Business in Bulgaria launched its Young.LEADERS.talk series which takes place within the Council’s National Internship Initiative. Its purpose is to enable young people to meet their role models – political leaders, managers and young professionals who started their own careers as interns, as well as to visit some of the largest companies in Bulgaria.  In this way young people have the opportunity to get familiar with the business world and to learn how companies are organized and how they operate.