This year’s scholarship competition of the Development Fund of Tallinn University of Technology is underway. This time, Adven is also awarding a scholarship. Elinor Toming, Head of the Development Fund, asked Juhan Aguraiuja, Baltic Business Manager for Adven, what their expectations are for the candidates and what kinds of cooperation opportunities the company offers to students.
What kind of company is Adven and what services do you offer?
Adven is an energy group that develops sustainable energy solutions in cooperation with customers, municipalities, and suppliers. Our company employs 580 people providing district and geothermal heating to households and businesses, and steam, heating, cooling, and infrastructure services to industries. We have more than 50 years of experience in district heating and industrial power generation. We operate more than 350 sites in Europe with a total energy capacity of 6 TWh.
Juhan, you have a degree in thermal engineering and you also work in this field on a daily basis. What is your current view of the opportunities for a bright young student in this field to make a difference?
One of the biggest challenges facing our planet this century is carrying out the energy transition from fossil to non-fossil fuels. Reducing our environmental impact is a huge task and we must bear in mind that energy has the greatest environmental impact. Energy engineers and energy specialists, who create processes and solutions, play a crucial role in this area. We could even say that they have a mission. It is a growing and evolving field and the need for new and skilled professionals is very high.
In 2023, Adven will award a scholarship for the first time. What is the purpose of the scholarship and why did you come up with it?
Our company has set a goal of growing and developing. We have new projects in the pipeline and we need skilled specialists to carry them out. The main purpose of the scholarship is to steer young people towards a career in thermal engineering. There is a growing need for engineers and we see great potential in this profession.
What kinds of students do you expect to apply for the scholarship? What are the opportunities for future cooperation with Adven?
We welcome applications from enthusiasts with an active outlook on life who want to become top performers in their field. We work with students on an ongoing basis: co-supervision of dissertations, internships, and the possibility of job shadowing. We have also made part-time work available where suitable work is available.
We are an open-minded company, so we are open to discussing other creative and inventive ways of working together.
What advice would you give to the candidates on putting together their documents? What should they keep in mind?
In your motivation letter, I would recommend highlighting your uniqueness. Highlighting your hobbies and personal interests certainly provides added value, but it can also be a fascinating vision of the future that shows you from a new angle. A good engineer is a creative person, so I encourage you to be creative in your thinking and generate new and exciting ideas.
The second thing I would recommend is interdisciplinarity – doing different things. Diverse knowledge of different fields adds value to the core business. Narrow engineering knowledge can sometimes be too limited.
And for those who do not get a scholarship – are there any recommendations for them?
If you do not qualify for a scholarship, please contact us anyway. The actual receipt of the scholarship should not be seen as the only benefit. I would still recommend introducing yourself, because there is always a chance that this could be the start of a collaboration.
Applications for Development Fund scholarships are open until 26 March 2023. More information and how to apply