Agropolychim wins second place at the Forbes HR & Employer Branding Awards in the Talent Acquisition category
Agropolychim’s internship and traineeship programme, “Future Talent Factory,” won second place at the Forbes HR & Employer Branding Awards in the Talent Acquisition category. The award recognises the company’s consistent efforts to create meaningful professional development opportunities for young people and to build a sustainable connection between education and industry.
Behind this achievement is the dedicated work of Agropolychim’s Human Resources team, which continues to develop and enhance the programme based on feedback from both participants and colleagues. With the support of Agropolychim’s management and the active involvement of dozens of mentors and experts from across different areas of the company, the initiative has gradually evolved from an HR project into a shared responsibility across the organisation.
From the first encounter with industry to a professional career
“At Agropolychim, we believe that preparing the specialists of tomorrow begins long before the first job opening. For decades, the company has welcomed interns and trainees, worked closely with schools and universities, organised visits to its production facilities, and introduced young people to career opportunities in industry while they are still making decisions about their education and future profession.
‘Future Talent Factory’ is a natural continuation of this approach. The programme creates a clear pathway – from a young person’s first encounter with a real industrial environment, through school placements and university internships, to more in-depth practical training and the opportunity for long-term professional development,” Agropolychim’s Human Resources team explains.
The six-month traineeship positions give young people the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of a specific professional role. The programme also includes two-month internships for second- and third-year university students, as well as two-week practical placements for school students. Bulgarian students studying abroad are also given the opportunity to participate.
The aim is not simply to attract candidates, but to give young people a realistic understanding of the profession, the working environment and the responsibilities involved before they make their career choice.
A programme that grows together with its participants
The results demonstrate steadily growing interest in “Future Talent Factory.” The first edition attracted around 50–60 applications and six participants – four interns and two trainees. For the second edition, the programme received more than 200 applications, while the number of participants doubled to twelve. The number of participating departments and business areas increased from six to ten.
The second edition also expanded the opportunities available to school students. Eighteen young people completed a two-week practical placement, while another 150 visited the production site as part of their practical education. The company also expanded its network of partner schools and universities.
“Future Talks” – where experience meets a vision for the future
During the second edition, participants took part in a joint project entitled “What will Agropolychim look like in 25 years?” They analysed the company’s current position, identified potential future risks, and developed their own ideas and solutions.
To support this project, the “Future Talks” format was introduced, giving young participants the opportunity to engage directly with the company’s management. The discussions focused on the development of different areas of the business, the leaders’ own professional journeys, key challenges and possible scenarios for the future.
In this way, participants did more than simply observe how the company operates. They were given the opportunity to ask questions, analyse different perspectives, propose ideas and develop and defend their own points of view.
An HR-led effort supported across the organisation
The Forbes award also recognises the continuous efforts of Agropolychim’s Human Resources team. Behind every edition of “Future Talent Factory” is extensive preparation – communication with schools and universities, candidate attraction and selection, coordination with different departments, ongoing programme management, and continuous feedback from both the young participants and the colleagues working with them.
Throughout the entire process, the HR team maintains the connection between participants, managers and specialists. At the same time, the programme is made possible by the collective efforts of people across the organisation.
This is what makes “Future Talent Factory” much more than a recruitment initiative. More and more employees are becoming its co-creators, mentors and ambassadors for Agropolychim as an employer. Mentors play a key role in this process, sharing their professional experience, knowledge and time while helping young people take their first confident steps in a real working environment. It is their commitment that turns the idea into a meaningful experience and makes the “Future Talent Factory” programme possible.
Talent is not simply attracted – it is developed
At Agropolychim, the employer brand is built through people’s real experiences – through the interactions, tasks, knowledge and support that young participants receive throughout the programme.
For this reason, the success of “Future Talent Factory” is not measured solely by the number of new hires. What matters is giving every young person enough real-world experience to make an informed decision about their future – regardless of whether their next professional step is with Agropolychim or elsewhere.
Winning second place at the Forbes HR & Employer Branding Awards is recognition of this approach – and of all the people who invest their time, knowledge and energy in making it a reality.