The Graduate Trainee Program gets 10 out of 10!
AXA breakfast cereals and pioneering Swedish sustainability work were how Vanessa of Indonesia discovered Lantm?nnen and why she applied to the graduate trainee program in Sweden. Three years later, she now works full-time with Health & Safety at Swecon – in Germany.
What persuaded you who grew up in Jakarta to apply to Lantm?nnen, a Swedish farming cooperative?
“Google. I searched on Sustainability + Trainee + Sweden as Sweden for me is a role model when it comes to sustainability issues. The first Google hit was Lantm?nnen. The only thing I knew about them was that they made my AXA breakfast cereal, but I continued my search and found a company that shares my vision about sustainability, that takes responsibility, and that actively works for a sustainable future.”
What marks would you give the Lantm?nnen graduate trainee program?
“10 out of 10. You get a good insight into different parts of the business quite quickly and in a way that is different than if you were employed in a certain position. During my year as a trainee, I got to know colleagues and businesses in Norrk?ping, Stockholm and Düsseldorf.”
How would you describe your journey from Jakarta to Düsseldorf?
“It began with an exchange program in upper secondary school when I chose to study for a year in Switzerland. After that, I applied to Karlsruher Institut für Technologie in Germany where I graduated in Industrial Technologies and Management. Through my studies, I became aware of sustainability work in Sweden and decided to do a Masters in Industrial Ecology at Chalmers in Gothenburg. At the end of my trainee year at Lantm?nnen, I was offered a job at Swecon here in Düsseldorf.”
Your focus is now on Health & Safety (H&S). How does that fit with your technology background?
“It is a fascinating area. I am an incredibly results-oriented person who wants to see results quickly, ideally translated into figures. Getting an entire organisation to focus on H&S is a long-term effort that is not noticed in the same way. It has been a challenge for me to change perspective. At the same time, it is incredibly rewarding to see how we are gradually succeeding in changing ways of working and getting personnel at all levels to prioritise correctly.”
What is your role?
“I work for both the German business and the whole of Swecon with responsibility for our safe@swecon initiative. This includes common activities for the whole group, plus different action plans for each respective country, to raise employee awareness and build a long-term sustainable culture around H&S.”