Statistics Sweden:
""FUF has contributed to more people understanding how large and extensive our international operations are."
Statistics Norway, Statistics Sweden, has been part of the Finnish Federation of Swedish Internships' Intern Program since 2019. Anna Gunterberg, project manager at Statistics Sweden, says that many people do not know that the agency works with international collaborations, human rights and Agenda 2030, and that, by hiring FUF, gets a good selection of candidates who otherwise might not have known about them:
- When we recruited interns ourselves, it was more difficult to reach out and get interns with the right interest and the right skills. It was a much more limited selection that we had then. The times that we managed to reach out to a little more, it became laborious to get through the recruitment process. A special competence that FUF has is that they can bring in a wide range of candidates and that they think about diversity in their recruitment. They can match to a large number of organizations, which means that it will be good for the candidates and it will be good for the organizations. This means that we usually get an intern who is interested both of the international that we do and of statistics.
Stefan Andersson, manager at the authority's section for development cooperation, agrees:
- The basic reason is that there will be a very good selection of interns who have the right profile and interest in development issues. It is cost-effective because a large part of the work is outsourced and FUF takes care of thinning and sifting. Experience says it will be fine. Before FUF, the quality was not as consistent and much more work was required. FUF has contributed to more people understanding how big and comprehensive our international operations are.
Anna and Stefan agree that the quality of the many FUF interns they have supervised has been high and worked "surprisingly well".
- These are students who have the right professional interests and are very forward thinking. Since we hired FUF, it has been consistently good, and more even than before with the target group they reach, Stefan says. Everyone has contributed and felt safe. It has been unexpectedly good throughout. The discrepancy between candidates decreases when there is such a good selection from FUF.
Anna fills in:
- They have been very, very good. They have been committed, ambitious, got into the work and really wanted to learn more. They have contributed a lot based on their background, both in office tasks, such as meeting notes, and special tasks that we try to give trainees tailored based on their interest. It adds value to us as well, because we get things done more deeply and with more quality than we had time to do. For example, previous interns have carried out in-depth interviews with partner organizations for annual reports. The interns come in with the latest in fields, which contributes to the discussions and with new knowledge because the rest of us haven't studied in a while.
Accepting interns through FUF has also strengthened the authority's employer brand in various ways. Anna says that it has helped Statistics Sweden to get out the message that statistics have a decisive importance for the work with democracy, human rights, equality and sustainable global development - and thus show the agency's work and relevance.
- We have also had the opportunity to organize study visits for all FUF interns who are at various organizations and authorities. Such opportunities affect our brand, also for SCB as a whole, because many people do not know that these opportunities exist at the authority, Stefan adds.
What would you say to other authorities who are hesitant about accepting interns or using FUF? What is your best advice?
- It is a time- and cost-effective way to recruit interns and reduces the risk of unnecessary work. You can almost put all the CVs on a wall and throw darts. Joking aside, they produce quality-assured candidates and simplify the process, says Stefan.
- I advise other authorities and organizations to consider accepting interns if there is an opportunity to set aside part of the time for supervision. If you have that capacity, then I absolutely think that you should think about what needs to be developed that you yourself do not have time for, or have the opportunity to prioritize, and to make it a practical task. And of course advertise through FUF. Operationally, you reach out more widely, get the right person and avoid large parts of the work with recruitment. The candidates are very attractive in the trainee market and they often receive other offers. Should that happen, FUF tries to support by developing a replacement. You also get support as an internship supervisor regarding goal follow-up and evaluation, as well as other practical things, says Anna.
