Energy Internship and Career Plaza: Event of the Energy Delta Convention

On 24 November 2010 the Energy Internship and Career Plaza (EICP) takes place in the Martiniplaza in Groningen. This event will be a meeting place for companies and prospective employees and is part of the annual Energy Delta Convention. The international set-up combined with the theme ‘Energy’ makes this event very special; the EICP introduces students to the energy sector and vice versa. Access is free for all students.

Energy Internship and Career Plaza is an initiative of the University of Groningen, student organisation ESN, the Energy Valley Foundation and the Hanze University Groningen.

International conference

The Energy Delta Convention is an international conference with clear links to the Northern region. Energy is one of the core issues of the University of Groningen and it is also one of the governmental policy focal points to concentrate energy in the north of the Netherlands, the Energy Valley region. This provides students internship and career opportunities in the international energy field. The event will be concluded by a lecture of Mr. Michiel de Bruijn, Executive Director Royal Bank of Scotland.

Career perspectives

It is not always clear that the energy sector offers career perspectives for natural science students as well as for law, art, psychology or business students. Energy careers are not always in the minds of these students. The EICP informs students with different backgrounds about career possibilities in the energy sector and visualizes their career perspectives. The EICP debate on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage for example shows students the multidisciplinairy angle of energy issues.

International students

Approximately 2,300 international students study at the University of Groningen and more than 1,400 at the Hanze. They are in need of useful information about the energy labour market. Many of them are required to do an internship and are keen to do so. International students are especially interested in internships and research projects in our region: being here, they are already ‘abroad’ and they do not always have the financial resources to travel long distances.

International companies

The event also acts as a meeting place for students and international companies. Approximately 50% of the students at the University of Groningen and 100% of the students of the Hanze University do one or more internships during their degree programs. A student who would like to do an internship abroad often spends a lot of time finding a suitable company. By acquainting students with international companies in an informal way, it is easier for them to discover what kind of organisation matches their talents. Sint-Petersburg Electrotechnical Company is one of the participating international companies.