UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Volvo Group recently signed an Academic Preferred Talent Partnership agreement with Penn State -- one of only eight universities worldwide to have such agreements with Volvo. The three-year program provides Penn State students with co-op, internship and mentoring opportunities and offers talent recruitment benefits to Volvo Group.
Representatives from Volvo will tour the University Park campus Wednesday (April 10) and Thursday (April 11) and will meet with leaders from the Graduate School and the College of Engineering to continue discussions about the partnership. A public event to be held from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday, April 11, in Heritage Hall at the HUB-Robeson Center will feature related presentations by Lena Lind, senior vice president, talent management, and Hans Persson, vice president, technology and innovation. This visit was originally scheduled to take place last fall but was postponed due to Hurricane Sandy.
“We are delighted to join the Volvo Group as a Preferred Talent Partner,” said David Wormley, Harold and Inge Marcus Dean of Engineering at Penn State. “This partnership will directly lead to relationships benefitting our students and faculty and our partner, the Volvo Group.”
“Penn State offers stellar technical and supply chain programs, making them a natural partner for the Volvo Group,” said Torbjörn Holmström, Volvo Group chief technology officer and executive vice president, Volvo Group Trucks Technology. “Penn State’s academic programs strongly align with the needs of the Volvo Group as we look to achieve our vision of becoming the world leader in sustainable transport solutions with pioneering products and services.”
The Volvo Group considers criteria such as academic standing, student diversity, international connections and its research institution when selecting a university with which to partner.
“The Academic Preferred Talent Partnership agreement with Penn State provides students with an opportunity to gain hands-on, real-world experience and mentoring with a global company,” said Kerstin Renard, Volvo Group executive vice president, human resources. “The partnership also furthers our ability to establish a long-term relationship with the University, which we view as a source of top talent within functional disciplines vital to the Volvo Group.”
Volvo Group currently maintains Preferred Talent agreements with seven other universities around the globe – Chalmers University of Technology and School of Business, Economics & Law, Gothenburg, Sweden; EM Lyon and INSA Lyon, France; Tsinghua University and Tongji University, China; and North Carolina State University, Raleigh, N.C.
The Volvo Group is one of the world's leading manufacturers of trucks, buses and construction equipment, and drive systems for marine and industrial applications. The group also provides complete solutions for financing and service. Headquartered in Goteborg, Sweden, the Volvo Group employs about 115,000 people, has production facilities in 19 countries and sells their products in more than 190 markets.