Taraneh Vosough is one of those participating in the programme at the moment, and she sees a bright future.
Taraneh Vosough is currently mid-way through the Volvo Group International Graduate Programme. At the moment she is working in Global Manufacturing Process Development at Volvo Buses.
“The decisive factor for me when I applied was actually the job description, with a boss who is willing to invest in you and clearly demonstrates what he wants. I see a bright future within the Volvo Group that goes much further than my year in the Graduate Programme. I’m going to be trying out different departments, like research and development, sales and marketing, and I’ll be spending three months working for Volvo Buses’ subsidiary Nova in Montreal in Canada. My job is to look at how we can break down different objectives so that they are actually met. I’ve collected information from different sites all over the world. At Nova, I’ll be helping with a pilot project in this area.”
Have your expectations been met?
“My expectations were pretty high – otherwise I wouldn’t have taken the job. It’s absolutely fantastic, both the Graduate Programme and all my co-workers and the work itself. I got an assignment from my boss straight away, useful guidance and I’ve already travelled to lots of countries. It’s been even better than I’d expected.”
Tell us about something special you have learnt.
“I’ve learnt how complex a large company like Volvo is and the humility needed to deal with that complexity. There is a diverse range of different cultures, different structures and different ways of behaving and working. It’s interesting, but it also creates a number of challenges. Understanding that diversity is quite an important tool to bring to the table.”
The Graduate Programme is aimed at graduates with a maximum of two years’ working experience. This year’s edition of the programme involves 22 participants from a range of countries, including Sweden, Belgium, the United States, Thailand, Japan and India. Amongst other things, the group worked intensely on personal development for a week in Sweden and met representatives of various parts of the group to engender a broad understanding of the company. In February, the group will be travelling to Japan, where their activities will include workshops and discussing issues of culture and diversity. Later on in the programme, there will also be a trip to the US. The programme comes to an end in August, at which point a permanent position within the Volvo Group awaits the participants.
The application period for the next programme begins on 1 February and runs for the whole month. The programme begins in September 2016. The plan is to accept around 30 participants.