There is a high demand for the country's engineering students. This is clearly evident in the weeks when Aarhus University welcomes the business community for matchmaking at the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering, the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering, and the Department of Mechanical and Production Engineering.

Here, companies have the opportunity to meet engineering students face-to-face and offer them internships or collaborate on a study project.

The attendance record is from this year's matchmaking, where nearly 200 companies participated. Eskild Holm Nielsen, Dean of the Faculty of Technical Sciences, is pleased with the strong support from the business community. He is also aware that it reflects the increasing demand for engineers in Danish society:

"There is no doubt that our students are in high demand, and that the very strong interest from companies is linked to an intensified talent hunt. We live in a time where engineers are of great importance to the business community's ability to create growth, and we educate for sectors that are working at high pressure to solve some of society's major problems in relation to security, energy supply, food production, and climate change. It becomes very clear and very concrete when we invite companies in this way," he says.

From Energy to Health: Engineering Interns in High Demand

Everything from small startups to global tech giants is competing for the students' attention. Many use the collaboration with engineering students from Aarhus University as part of their recruitment strategy in the hope that it can lead to permanent employment.

One of the companies that returns to the matchmaking events at Aarhus University every year is Beumer Group. Søren Vestergaard Holm, Talent Acquisition Lead, says: "We have particularly extensive experience with interns and typically take in 10-12 each semester. Our strategy is long-term – we want them to stay with us after their studies. Last year, we hired 129 new employees."

In the energy sector, collaboration with engineering students also plays a vital role. This is according to HDCD engineer Stefan Frendrup Sörensen from Energinet: "We want to meet the students face-to-face instead of only recruiting through job postings. As a company, we have a responsibility to take in interns, and we see it as an important part of our work.

" Aarhus University Hospital and the Danish Centre for Particle Therapy use the internship and project days for engineering students at Aarhus University to find candidates who can work with advanced health technologies. Jasper Nijkamp, Head of Innovation, does not specify how many interns they hope to find: "We are not focusing on filling specific internships, but on finding the right people for exciting projects. Interns with us can expect freedom and responsibility, the opportunity to learn Python, and to work with machine learning and deep learning."

Louise Kidmose Rask, studying for a Bachelor of Engineering in Electrical Energy Technology. She prioritizes an internship in a company with a good working environment:

"For me, community is the most important thing when I look for an internship. I have found that I would like to work with automation professionally, but the social aspect means just as much - it's what makes it fun to go to work every day."

For Oliver Vestergaard Melby, who is studying for a Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics, it is important that the company is internationally oriented, "has something on its mind" and works with innovation.

"I want to be involved in creating something new and valuable rather than just doing something routine. I also find it exciting to see companies with projects abroad - it would be great to use the internship to experience something completely new."

Internship and project days for engineering students are held every year in October and March at Aarhus University.