5 years of the internship program for the space sector

5 years have passed since the launch of the Internship program for the space sector „Development of the space industry staff”. During this time, over 400 young people have expressed interest in the program. The program contributed to the development of much-needed competencies for the Polish space industry.

In the frame of the program, the annual contest is organized to choose the best candidates. It is directed to students, graduates and doctoral students, especially engineers. As a result, up to 15 applicants have a chance to hold an internship in the space sector entities. For many of them, the internships are the beginning of a career in this industry. So far, 52 interns in 35 entities (companies and B+R institutes) participated in the program. 77% of them received the job offer after finishing the internship in domestic entities.

The aerospace sector is demanding but also very rewarding. Interns receive the opportunity to develop interesting, innovative projects. In the case of R+D projects, they also take part in working out and implementing new procedures, technical standards, cutting-edge products and technologies. This is a unique experience in contrast to other branches of the economy. It has to be underlined, that research and development works are usually long-term projects which require patience and goal orientation from employees in the long-term horizon. Due to the large number of projects that are carried out in our entities, the interns are required to learn quickly and think independently. They also get opportunities to develop various skills, including teamwork.

According to data, 60% of interns, after the internship finishing, stay in the space sector. 20% of them take up a job at the polytechnics, the rest transfers to other sectors of the economy. For some of them, the internship is an introduction to an international career.

Agencja Rozwoju Przemysłu (The Industrial Development Agency – eng.) and Związek Pracodawców Sektora Kosmicznego (The Polish Space Industry Association – eng.) are organizers of the program.