Young Leaders Program case study
Vestas MENA
June 23rd – July 27th, 2021
Overview:
Vestas is the energy industry’s global partner in sustainable energy solutions. The company designs, manufactures, installs and services wind turbines across the globe. With +145 GW of wind turbines in 85 countries, Vestas has installed more wind power than anyone else.
Challenge:
Following the success of the NEOM Innovation Challenge 2020, a winning team of high school students was awarded a Young Leaders Program. This 4-week development program specifically designed in collaboration with Vestas MENA for students in their teens who are considering their career aspirations, seeking their path to success, and are interested in the areas of sustainable energy and engineering.
Solution:
The Global Exec., in collaboration with VESTAS MENA, created an educational mini-internship program that aimed to prepare young minds for the future of work in the Energy sector. The program consisted of carefully tailored webinars, assessments and workshops, which were hosted by VESTAS representatives from the different functions of the company such as People & Culture, Marketing, Engineering and Management.
In addition to learning about sustainability in the energy sector and wind energy, the participants were asked to select a role in the company and prepare a presentation about one assignment given under these roles. They were interviewed, given feedback on their performance and also given an educational session on building their online professional presence.
Impact:
The participants were able to experience the world of business in the energy sector, not only by getting up close and personal with wind energy and the clean energy transition but also with mentors from different functions and different seniority levels.
The assignments given to the students took them outside of their comfort zones and allowed them to explore other areas in the world of work that guided them to focus on important skills like communication, collaboration and competence.
The students gained practical and immediate benefits from learning how to build attractive, professional profiles online, including getting insights on career choices from Executives in Vestas and NEOM.
“I was bewildered by the level of intelligence and openness we had in this batch. A few of the students were already co-founders of their own companies, something my generation and older couldn’t even imagine achieving when we were in our early teens. While the students learned from us, we learned from them the importance of staying curious to learn and advance oneself. Thanks to the evolution, accessibility and connectivity of technology and information, we are seeing a new kind of leadership being built in our youth today, and one that surely looks promising.”
— Carine Bouery, Marketing and Communications Specialist MENA, Vestas
