Ukrainian agricultural students discover career opportunities through an international training experience in DuPont Pioneer

DuPont Pioneer, Kyiv, Ukraine,
Tuesday, June 10, 2014

 DuPontPioneer is proud to announce the creation of the DuPontPioneer University Project which aims to contribute to agricultural educationand development of the Ukrainian youth and develop a long-term talent pipeline. 

In April, 2014 DuPont Pioneer started the DuPontPioneer University project for Ukrainian university students or recentgraduates in agriculture.  The objectiveof this project is to provide young people with theopportunity to receive in-depth training in the USA regarding seed production, sales and marketing,and research from the world’s leading developer and supplierof advanced plant genetics. 

This initiative meets the needs of a changingbusiness environment, which requires qualified and flexible human capital. Inorder to meet growth plans, DuPont Pioneer has developed this initiative to developtalent, which will assist it in becoming an “employer of choice” and help to identifyfuture employees with a commitment to and alignment with the DuPont Pioneerstrategy, its corporate culture, and Core Values. 

From the beginning of 2014 DuPont Pioneer’s partner,Worldwide International Student Exchange (WISE), has recruited universitystudents or recent graduates in agricultural disciplines to participate in thisselect program. Candidates were evaluated regarding English language ability,passion for agriculture, and interest in pursuing a career in agriculture. The finalselection was based on students’ technical ability afterparticipating in two DuPont Pioneer sponsored seminars in April and May. The company is pleased to announce that 52Ukrainian participants have been selected for this international trainingexperience. 

This hands-on, paid, structuredtraining program allows young Ukrainians the opportunity to, not only learnabout seed processing, but also provide them a unique opportunity to meetAmerican co-workers, learn about American culture and participate in culturalactivities. The DuPont Pioneer University training program is for8-12 months duration depending on the location where the trainee has beenplaced.  Students will be located in 10different company facilities in Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota, California andOhio. 

“DuPont Pioneer offers this international program to help Ukrainian studentsprepare for future careers in agriculture. We werelooking for exceptional students across Ukraine as we believe in Ukrainianyouth and want them to succeed”, - commentedJohn Hibbard, BusinessExpansion Manager, Eastern Europe at DuPont Pioneer.  “We believe that developing top talent fromthe bottom up is key to creating an engaged and creative workforce to supportthe future growth plans of our company. We are proud of our first class ofstudents going to the U.S. and wish them all the best.” 

“TheWISE Foundation is very happy to partner with DuPont Pioneer in this uniquetraining program and sponsor these qualified young agriculturalists” statedWISE Foundation Ag Program Manager CraigSchmuck.