---
title: "Digital internships – Giving opportunity to new talent"
description: "The tech industry is growing rapidly which makes it hugely competitive. Finding staff who share the same values as a company is a challenge which our Latvian team have turned into a success."
date: "2017-10-04T10:15:27+00:00"
category: "Culture"
excerpt: "The tech industry is growing rapidly which makes it hugely competitive. Finding staff who share the same values as a company is a challenge which our Latvian team have turned into a success."
reading_time: "3 min 52 sec"
image: "/uploads/images/sites-default-files-2024-03-wunderprakse.jpg"
image_alt: "Six interns at Valmiera office"
path: "Insights > Digital internships – Giving opportunity to new talent"
---

In 2014, we looked outside the usual recruiting approaches to come up with the idea of the Mearra Internship programme. With over 30 Mearra people in Latvia, to this day the team continue to expand with interns who become permanent members of staff.

## Mearra Internship – an experience to be proud of

From their first day we treat our interns as colleagues, they are involved in company meetings, events and activities.

Under mentor supervision, our interns work on client project throughout their training. Students work in real project teams to experience the full process

-   Following Agile methodology,
-   Defining project goals and responsibilities,
-   Budget planning,
-   Client communicating,
-   Project development,
-   Contributing to key meetings.

## Valmiera Art School website re-design, created by second-year students

Our client, the Valmiera Art School, had a clear vision on the new site’s design and content which our interns turned into online designs which are easy to use across devices.

!\[Valmiera art school's website\](/uploads/images/sites-default-files-2024-03-valmiera\_art\_school\_s\_website.png)

## Collaboration is the key

Close collaboration was a key part of the success when working with the Engineering department from the [Vidzeme University of Applied Sciences](http://www.va.lv/en). Beyond the Mearra Internship programme, we are open for student visits and our employees have been involved in academic work as lecturers, guest speakers or industry experts.

## Award-winning internships

In 2016, Mearra Latvia was on the top ten best internship providers in Latvia – alongside the likes of huge organisations including AirBaltic, DHL and Nordea Bank. Receiving the award from the [Employers’ Confederation of Latvia](http://en.lddk.lv/) was a huge milestone for us – demonstrating that our internship programme could compete with larger organisations.

Internships are a great way to understand whether employees share the same values and vision. It is also a great opportunity for the intern to become acquainted with work processes and technologies in the company and to gain work experience.

!\[Infographic on digital internships in numbers\](/uploads/images/sites-default-files-2024-08-digital\_internships\_lv.png)

## Web solution for ZAAO that changes along the seasons created by fourth-year students

New website for local [waste management company ZAAO](http://www.zaao.lv/en) was a huge project for the student team. Interns turned ZAOO’s vision into a stylish, easy-to-administrate web solution – with the possibility to change the website’s visual look according to the season!

!\[ZAAO's website on a tablet screen\](/uploads/images/sites-default-files-2024-03-tablet-mockup.png)

## The goal for the future

The challenge for the future is to widen the initiative and start collaborating with universities in Riga and other Mearra countries. Another long term challenge is to develop a Mearra Internship programme so interns can explore business analysis, usability aspects and design development. Watch this space!

Shortly after setting up the internship programme, in 2015, also the Mearra Scholarship programme was founded – we will tell you more about this soon!

## Want to intern at Mearra?

We offer great internship opportunities for aspiring students who want to grow their digital knowledge. If you are looking for professional experience and relevant skills to boost your career then we would love to hear from you.