This autumn, the technology company Playtech Estonia will offer two scholarships for the first time; the scholarships are aimed at students in the Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programmes of the Department of Software Science. According to Ivo Lasn, Director of Playtech Estonia, this is a good opportunity to recognise and encourage good students who have great potential to become top players in the field and who stand out in terms of their motivation, ambition, and academic results. Lasn adds that the development of young talent is an important focus for Playtech and the scholarships are aimed specifically at IT and software science students. The students who are awarded the scholarship are also invited to the company for an internship where they can practice and develop their knowledge under the guidance of experienced mentors.

There are other new supporters: Finestmedia, Grant Thornton Baltic, Fibenol, Kristel Kruustük, Estonian Cell, Uus Maa Real Estate Bureau, Sirkel ja Mall, R8 Technologies, Favorte, PwC, Prysmian Group, Saku Metall Allhanke Tehas, Interconnect Product Assembly (IPA), and SA Southwestern Advantage.

Grant Thornton Baltic, which started offering scholarships to students of TalTech this year, is the largest locally-owned provider of business support and consulting services in the Baltics. ‘Supporting young talent is very important for our company and we invest more and more in this area. The scholarship programme of TalTech creates a good opportunity to involve more young people in the activities of our company and to introduce them to our company and various exciting roles in finance. Above all, we are looking forward to receive applications from students who are interested in starting a professional life in the field of accounting, auditing, or financial consulting,’ said Marge Litvinova, Head of People and Culture at Grant Thornton Baltic.

Fibenol is also contributing for the first time. ‘The aim of Fibenol is to add value to residues of the timber industry in a more innovative and environmentally friendly way. The technology we use is unique in the world and opens up new frontiers for many industries. We wish to bring more young people to wood chemistry, a key sector of the future. We want Estonia to become a centre of innovation and development for the wood processing industry by making use of the professional competence and experience located here,’ explains Triin Tepp, Human Resources Manager at Fibenol.

The Development Fund mediates various scholarships offered by companies, alumni, and foundations, with the aim of supporting the motivation of students to learn and academic growth in TalTech. ‘It is great to see so many companies supporting students in their studies. More and more companies see the need to popularise the field and investing in future specialists by awarding scholarships is a good way to do this. It is also an ideal opportunity for the employer to make themselves visible to young people early on, so that when the university graduate enters the labour market, they would know which companies would be of interest to them,’ said Elinor Toming, Member of the Management Board and Head of the Development Fund of the Tallinn University of Technology. ‘I thank all the long-term, new, and future cooperation partners of the Development Fund,’ added Toming.

The Development Fund of the Tallinn University of Technology has been operating since 1991. The longest partners of the Development Fund are Eesti Energia, Viru Keemia Grupp, Tehnopolis Ülemiste, Harju Elekter, Eesti Mäeselts, Merko Ehitus, Telia, Nordecon, Silberauto, and Trev-2. Over the past 20 years, Estonian companies and individuals have provided students of TalTech with support totalling 3.2 million euros.