64 young people will spend two summer months in public institutions, as part of the joint Internship Programme of the European Union and the Government of the Republic of Moldova
64 young people, selected from nearly 200 applicants, will spend two summer months working hand in hand with civil servants in public institutions, as part of the joint Internship Programme of the European Union and the Government of the Republic of Moldova. Students, master students and recent graduates from Moldovan and foreign universities who wish to pursue a career in the public administration will have the opportunity to gain first-hand experience and learn directly how civil service works, the Programme being at its fifth edition. Each month, interns will receive a 250 Euro allowance, funded by the European Union and Denmark in the framework of the ‘Moldova is Europe – Support for EU Integration’ project.
The opening ceremony marking the start of the Programme took place today, in the presence of the EU Ambassador Iwona Piórko, Danish Ambassador Søren Jensen, and Secretary General of the Government Alexei Buzu. The event also marked the launch of the next edition of the Government’s Internship Programme, which brings together an additional cohort of 85 young interns.
The EU official highlighted: ‘Public institutions need your ideas, your creativity, and your energy. They need people who are ready to look at challenges from a fresh perspective, to make institutions better prepared for the future. The European Union is proud to support this programme because we believe that young people are among Moldova’s greatest strengths.’
In his turn, the Secretary General of the Government, encouraged the selected young people to be actively involved in the work of the institutions where they will do their internship: ‘The public service needs initiative and courage. You decided to take this step and come to public administration with new ideas, energy and the desire to contribute to the common good.’
The Ambassador of Denmark pointed out that “This internship programme also comes at an important milestone in Moldova’s journey towards EU. As the country advances its reform agenda and aligns with EU standards and values, investing in the skills, professionalism, and leadership of young people is more important than ever.”
Graduates of the previous editions of the Programme, currently working in the civil service, shared their thoughts on ways in which the internship experience helped them secure a position as a civil servant. Those who successfully graduate the programme can enter civil service without competition and without a testing period, provided that they receive ‘very good’ as assessment from their mentors: the legal framework has been adopted in this respect after first successful editions of the Internship Programme.
The Internship programme is designed to strengthen participants’ professional skills and improve their long-term employment prospects. The experience also includes regular training sessions, seminars and workshops to enhance interns’ theoretical and practical knowledge of public administration, particularly in the context of European integration.
The previous four editions of the Programme had over 200 graduates, out of which over 20 have been employed in the civil service.
