27 August 2018

Retaining international talent

Talent

Retaining international talent beyond graduation is on the agenda of governments and institutions in many countries. Denmark is no exception. In one retention initiative, UCPH has joined forces with other Danish universities and the official organisation for investment promotion and economic development in Greater Copenhagen, Copenhagen Capacity, to set up ’Young Professionals in Denmark’. The programme has proven a success in helping international graduates find employment in Denmark.

This September UCPH welcomes more than 1,200 international students into our two-year master’s programmes. During their time here, it is our job to provide the students with academic knowledge and skills, which will prepare them well for future employment. Turning a graduation diploma into an employment contract is not necessarily an easy task. Even harder for international students who do not know the local labour market.

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Category: Statistics, Marketing

Young Professionals in Denmark

Through the Young Professionals in Denmark programme, Danish universities and Copenhagen Capacity (CopCap), prepare international students to start their careers in Denmark and facilitate meetings between Danish companies and students.


Nikolaj Lubanski, Director of Talent Attraction at CopCap: ”After years of experience running this programme, we have met so many highly qualified and ambitious international students aiming for a career in Denmark, but they often find that it can be very difficult. The programme plays a key role in expanding their professional network and improving their job hunting skills, thereby assisting them in the final steps towards finding a job in Denmark.”

Programme activities include peer networking for students, practicing presentation skills, CV-writing workshops, career nights with presentations on labour market topics, match-making events and an annual International Talent Conference where students and companies meet in workshops to get to know each other.

Young professionals participating in a CopCap conference. Image: CopCap

The strength of collaboration

The universities-CopCap collaboration ensures close ties to both students and businesses across Denmark as well as a comprehensive understanding of their various needs and backgrounds.
 
“The true strength of the programme lies within the close collaboration between all eight universities in Denmark and Copenhagen Capacity, which allows us to run a national programme where participants meet with fellow international students and companies from all of Denmark,” Nikolaj Lubanski adds.
 
At UCPH we will have a new batch of 30 international students joining the programme for 2018/19.
 
Since 2014, 1,770 international students have applied to be part of the one-year career development programme. 688 have been accepted based on motivated applications. The programme makes a difference: 58 percent of graduates from the programme have full-time employment in Denmark 1-2 years after graduation compared to 47 percent for international students generally. Some students also use the programme to get student jobs, which help them get valuable work experience.