Saica Group launches its ‘Graduate Expert Programme’ 2023
Zaragoza, 26 Jan 2023
The company is offering 37 spots in different specialities and countries for recent graduates who have a year or two of professional experience, an international background and a high level of English.
The launch was announced at the graduation ceremony for students of the latest editions, an event that included a motivational talk by tennis coach Toni Nadal.
The Saica Group launched its ‘Graduate Expert’ this Wednesday, the recruitment, training and development programme designed to bring young talent into the company. This year, the company is offering 37 spots in different specialities and countries, an opportunity that was announced during the graduation ceremony for the 53 students of the programme’s latest editions. Participants received their diplomas at the event and, together with the people in the audience interested in joining the programme, were able to listen to a motivational talk by tennis coach Toni Nadal.
The two-year ‘Graduate Expert Programme’ involves mentored training and work experience in a real job position, affording participants the chance to develop functional skills and interpersonal competences. Recent graduates that have one or two years of professional experience, a strong level of English and international background are eligible. The programme, which was created in the 1990s and is run in collaboration with Universidad San Jorge and the ESIC Business and Marketing School, has benefited over 400 people to date. Many of these participants now hold senior positions at Saica.
Two of them, Aurélie Tissier, currently Marketing & Communication Manager at Saica Paper, and Miguel Ángel Ibáñez, National Key Account Manager at Saica Flex, moderated a discussion with graduates Sara Arasanz, Rafael Auría, Marcos Galve and Ainhoa Martín, who shared some of their experiences and discussed the positive effects that the programme has had on their respective professional careers and personal trajectories.
Before the diplomas were handed out, tennis coach Toni Nadal, Rafael Nadal’s coach for 27 years, shared his testimony with the audience and underscored the idea that success is a combination of attitude and talent. “The main trait of people who succeed in life is attitude”, said the now coach of Canadian tennis player Felix Augier-Alassime, adding that “the ability to fight permanently changes your talent”. “It’s been incredibly motivating for me to see my nephew win all the trophies he's won”, he explained, “but there’s nothing I’ve enjoyed more than the process of winning them”.
The event was also attended by Óscar Ovelleiro, Saica’s Campus Manager, who explained the details of the ‘Graduate Expert Programme’, and the president of the Saica Group, Ramón Alejandro, who reminded the recent graduates that they are now “Saica ambassadors, because you are now Saica”. In addition to going over the group’s values, the group’s president offered some advice: “Be passionate about what you do, because passion is contagious”, he said, sharing other tips like “question what you think you know”, “take responsibility for what you do” and “try to make a positive impact with your actions”.
Raúl Elgarrista, People Director Saica, described the programme as a “strategic cornerstone” of the company and invited the young talents to “join a journey of professional and personal growth”.
The event, which was hosted by Duncan Lawrence, the group's People Experience Director, also marked the kick-off of the group’s 80th anniversary, which will be celebrated in 2023.
