Part of this year’s edition of Voice It was the “Skills of the Future” panel, in which future professionals from Lidl Bulgaria’s youth programs, as well as human resources experts in the company, took part.
Lidl Bulgaria is a recipient of the “Child Friend” Certificate from the National Network for Children and this year was a corporate partner of Voice It 2023.
It’s nice to learn to manage your time and be financially independent
On the Voice It stage for a conversation with the presenter – Flora Stratieva, were Petra Hristova – final year public administration student, dual student and participant in the Lidl internship program; Svetoslav Angelov – participant in an internship and internship program, student of information systems at SU and interested in ethical hacking; and Asya Zareva – trainee program participant and moderator of the Lidl Talents alumni club, who has a bachelor’s degree in advertising.
In the conversation, they shared that participating in these initiatives taught them teamwork, skills in planning their time and finances, respect for others, and also the ways of communicating in face-to-face contact or through correspondence in a corporate environment. Among the benefits of Lidl’s youth programs, which Asya, Petra and Svetoslav listed, are financial independence, acquired teamwork skills, new contacts and acquaintances and the feeling that when you can and try – it is logical to be appreciated and given an opportunity to grow in the responsibilities of the position.
Lidl Bulgaria is developing 4 youth programs aimed at different age groups with the aim of early career development of young people and building valuable skills for the future. As a responsible company and a top employer, Lidl strives to provide a bridge between education and professional development precisely through these programs – dual education for students in grades 11 and 12, summer internship program in stores for students over 18 years old, internship program – summer internship on a project for students in the first years of study and a training program – for graduates without experience, but with a passion for managerial positions.
In the spring of 2024, Lidl will announce the latest editions of the internship and traineeship program to provide young people with the opportunity to make the most of the summer months. Information about them is available here .
Even a dream is a goal, but it must be pursued
The second part of the participation of the Lidl Bulgaria team was dedicated to the skills of the future and how to start work in order to be financially independent and gain professional experience. Alexander Stoichkov and Boyan Stanev got involved – experts in the field of selection, who daily review numerous CVs, interview job candidates and look for the most suitable people for specific positions in the company. Beyond what is written on any resume, they diligently search for the skills that make a candidate a successful professional.
The purpose of their visit was to assist young people with practical advice on how to structure their CV when they have no experience, but have skills and qualities that would gain attention and trust from the employer.
A helpful trick the two shared: It’s important to include any internship or initiative involvement on the resume when the person doesn’t yet have experience. And they set an example with the participation of young people that day in Voice It, which shows certain interests, proactive attitude, communicativness.
The skills important for a good career start are: time management, critical and analytical thinking, recognising fake news and handling the right facts, ability to set goals that are realistic and measurable. “Dreams can also be your goal, but it is important to persistently pursue them until the end,” Alexander Stoichkov said from the stage.
Another important skill is communication and building relationships with the people around us, not only through online communication, the advantages of which are many, but also in personal communication with others – a critically important skill that will be key in the future.
Boyan Stanev talks about one more, perhaps the most important skill at the start of the professional path. This is emotional intelligence – the ability to deal with our own emotions in any situation and to manage ourselves especially in tense and critical moments.
The two addressed the message to the youth to be active in seeking and utilizing all the opportunities that the environment offers. Such are the various, including free, trainings for various skills, as well as the school environment. A good education remains extremely important for a good career start, and what you get from school and university depends much more on personal initiative and motivation than on how good or bad the particular educational institution is.
“Professional skills are very important, but if you don’t have personal qualities, the rest of your skills won’t matter,” Boyan Stanev said at the end of the conversation. The entire conversation can be seen in the video of the Voice It 2023 live broadcast here .
During this year’s edition of our youth forum, Lidl Bulgaria provided the healthy food for the youth during the event. At the company’s stand in the exhibition area, the company’s team also brought informational materials on a healthy lifestyle with a QR code to a video with tips for a balanced and tasty lunch from Chef Manchev, provoked by one of the main topics of the forum – Sports and healthy eating. You can watch the video here.
NNC expresses its gratitude to Lidl Bulgaria for the partnership in the event and the company’s responsible attitude towards the well-being of children, families and society in Bulgaria.
