IMG_2752It’s been almost 1.5 years since I became a Global Trainee at Husqvarna Group and I have been living in fruitful life ever since. There are many job opportunities out there and Husqvarna Group is definitely not the only company that offers a management trainee program, so why did I choose Husqvarna Global Trainee Program?

First of all, the learning path of each trainee is different and flexible. Unlike many well-known trainee programs that have a well-development training framework, the Husqvarna Group Trainee Program is rather new – only 2.5 years old! – and managers are opened to adapting the program to suit each individual trainee. I had many discussions with HR and my managers about the job descriptions of the assignments and my development plan throughout the program. For example, even though I am a Manufacturing Trainee, I will still get to work in marketing in an upcoming assignment. The flexibility in the program will open your eyes and offer you more opportunities to explore your future career path.

Secondly, this program is international, meaning you can gain exposure and job experience in a global perspective. Husqvarna Group is a very diverse organization. It is not unusual to have more than five nationalities working in one project team. You will have the chance to attend training overseas and interact with foreign trainees. As a Global Trainee, I am given a lot of opportunities to work with colleagues or consultants overseas. One of my favorite project experiences was acting as Supplier Quality Engineer to make sure components were fit for mass production of a new product. I had to work closely with the R&D team from Japan to communicate requirements to suppliers. There were a lot of video conferences and emails exchanged. The best moment was towards the end of the project, on the night of Christmas Eve last year, a Japanese engineer and I finally finalized a report and greeted each other Merry Christmas! A lot of lessons learnt in a multi-national project experience, it’s all worth it!

The other important part of this program is the international working experience, which put trainees to work on an overseas assignment for 6-months. I am currently working in Nashville, USA. Moving from the big city of Shanghai to the small town of Nashville, every day is like an adventure for me, both at work and in daily life. Working in a foreign country is so different from working on a global project. You have to immerse to a new and unfamiliar environment and adapt quickly. It’s really challenging, but you will be supported by colleagues. This kind of opportunity is rather unusual in other management trainee programs, which makes the Husqvarna Group’s program very special.

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Last but not least, you can learn a lot from your fellow trainees in the program. I am really glad to be surrounded by a group of young, ambitious and knowledgeable international talents in the program. We interact during each training module overseas, and sometimes we work on the same project during our international assignments. I really enjoyed the moment during our last training module when trainees from Ukraine, Sweden, the U.S. and China, discussed the topic of Generation Y at the workplace. There are many differences in our point of view of course. However, we all face similar challenges and have our own solutions to tackle them. There are simply so much that we can learn from each other. The trainee group eventually becomes a great platform to share and gain knowledge from different functions of the organization and different parts of the world. It simply feels great to learn and grow with a group of awesome individuals.

I am very glad to have made the decision to apply for the Husqvarna Global Trainee Program, it gives me the flexibility to develop myself in a global platform and workplace and grow and learn with a group of amazing talents. If you are planning your next step, I hope you apply for this program that offers an exciting life like mine, and give a chance to Husqvarna Group to welcome a great asset like you!

Lois Lau
Global Trainee from Shanghai, China

Open positions are published on the Husqvarna Group website

 

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Living in the diversity of Husqvarna Group

Life-changing experience with unique exposure