YIT (Eng)

Today’s resources are tomorrow’s competence Similarly important for YIT is to find key personnel and other capable employees within all areas of operation. Currently the need for personnel is great and during 2007 a series of strategic recruiting measures will be implemented, including job advertisements, school collaboration, internal training and trainee programs.

“We must venture to recruit, develop and maintain the best employees if we plan to extend our service segment and meet the company’s growth goals of 10%,” says Jocke Carlsson, Personnel Manager for YIT Sverige AB. In collaboration with Lernia and the Swedish employment office Arbetsförmedlingen, service installers (electricity and heating, ventilation and plumbing) and service technicians are recruited and trained with an emphasis on service. Those working currently within the construction segment can receive internal training in order to broaden their competence in industrial service areas so that they can move to other company positions if required. This provides resources for today and competence for tomorrow.

YIT offers a wide trainee program In the past, YIT has had good experience with its internal trainee program, and during the spring new trainee positions will be offered. Unlike other trainee programs, YIT’s model is directed at sales personnel, project managers, service managers and future managers.

In addition, all participants are assigned a personal mentor.

Claes Waxin is the Key Account Manager for Facilities Management and now has his dream job. Getting there was a straight path thanks to the trainee program he participated in during 1999-2001.

“I started as a service technician in 1994 but made it clear that I wanted to have a job in sales before I turned 30,” says Claes.

He was offered a trainee position that would last for about a year in order to learn more about leadership, working environments, project work, project economy, contract law, negotiation technique and business management. This was a chance he could not miss.

Professional knowledge is crucial for a trainee Studies were always sandwiched with practical work and he was able to put his working experience to good use.

“It made it easier to understand the connections and apply the new knowledge in my daily work,” says Claes, emphasizing the importance of having access to a mentor.

He also thinks that it is important that managers give the trainees some space and allow them the chance to develop.

During the trainee program Claes already took the first step towards becoming a service manager with responsibility for all contract customers in the Stockholm area.

During the years 2003-2005 he was branch manager for Stockholm. He sees this as an important period even though he could not concentrate on sales. Today he works with new customer processing on the national level and feels that he has achieved what he aimed for.

“The trainee program provided all of the prerequisites that I needed to achieve my goal,” says Claes. “In addition to a good network it has also given me personal maturity and many informative “aha” experiences.”

“We are convinced that the efforts we are now making in training, besides all of our traditional training, will make us an attractive employer,” Jocke Carlsson concludes.