The popular Phase1 trainee programme offers university students a sense of community and professionally challenging tasks

Orion has been running the Phase1 training programme successfully for eight years. Each year, 30–50 university students have had the opportunity to enter working life for the summer and get to know Orion as an employer. 
 
Phase trainees are selected to work, for example, in the following areas: 

• Research and product development 
• Production, information management and financial management 
• Communications and commercial functions  
• Various engineering jobs. 

“A whole summer full of life and work experience,” said Formulation Scientist Trainee Anttu Huusko when asked what he had gained as a Phase1 participant. 
 
Huusko had the opportunity to engage in research work in Orion’s R&D laboratory. He feels that his professional skills developed tremendously during the summer.  
 
“In addition to learning a great deal, I now know what it feels like to truly enjoy your job,” Huusko says. 

University students from a wide range of fields participate in the Phase1 trainee programme  

Over the years, numerous university students from different fields have joined teams and organisations across the Orion Group. Many of them have been surprised by the wide range of educational backgrounds of their colleagues. 
 
The aim of the programme is to provide university students from different fields with: 

• Meaningful tasks that support professional development 
• Joint events and mentoring 
• An opportunity to gain work experience and get to know the workplace community in a pharmaceutical company.  

A summer full of learning and fun moments  

The application period for the Phase1 trainee programme starts in January. The trainee period runs from May to September and lasts for three to four months, depending on the participant’s contract.  
 
At the beginning of the summer, the trainees take part in a joint kick-off event. Each participant is provided with comprehensive induction training in their team concerning their job and working in a pharmaceutical company. In addition, everyone is assigned a small group mentor.  
 
The purpose of the small group mentoring is to provide coaching during the summer in accordance with each group’s interests concerning themes related to working life. Experienced Orion employees serve as mentors. During the summer, events and training are organised for the participants to strengthen a sense of community and increase their knowledge of Orion. The summer culminates in the programme’s closing ceremony.

The Phase1 programme builds professional confidence 

In Vitro Biology Trainee Cecilia Jungarå, Automation Trainee Esa Tikkanen and Future Technology Trainee Lotta Eerola feel that they have been welcomed as equal colleagues in their teams and that their skills are trusted. They have been allowed to develop their professional skills independently at their own pace, and help has always been easily available when needed. 

“I’ve learned a lot and have been able to see from different perspectives how the pharmaceutical industry and Orion’s technologies work. It’s been nice to see how much responsibility has been given to the trainees, in addition to meaningful tasks,” Eerola explains. 
 
Jungarå and Tikkanen are also happy that they can always ask for help and advice and that colleagues are glad to help. Through coaching, many trainees have learned to look at their work from a variety of perspectives and have acquired teamwork skills along the way. 
 
“I’m definitely considering Orion as a future employer. The good atmosphere at Orion and the colleagues made quite an impression on me over the summer. The tasks have been interesting and varied, and they have provided just the right degree of challenge and learning opportunities,” says Tikkanen. 

“I have always been interested in drug development, and after this summer, 
I would like to continue working in the field of drug development. I have also been positively surprised by the good atmosphere at Orion and the fact that everyone helps one another,” Jungarå adds. 

Aiming for a career in the pharmaceutical industry? Apply for admission to the next Phase1 trainee programme 

The tasks in the Phase1 trainee programme are varied and challenge you to learn new things about your field. The participants have enthusiasm and motivation for their field of study and a desire to develop their professional skills and expertise. In addition, an interest in networking with other trainees at various events makes the summer memorable.  

 
Read more about the Phase1 trainee programme