November 05, 2021
Young people are shaping a sustainable future
Written by: Serena Rickenbacher
Every year, Forma Futura offers an internship in the sustainability team. During this internship, young people learn directly how diverse and complex the topic of sustainability is and how we put it into practice. At the same time, we gain exciting insights into the young generation's view of our company.
When you were at school and training, did you sometimes wonder whether you would be able to apply the knowledge you learned there? Did you always have the desire to help shape the world while you were at school? To give more young people the opportunity to apply their skills and knowledge outside of their studies, Forma Futura regularly offers internships.
Win-win situation
With the internships, Forma Futura also makes a contribution to the education and training of young people. Interns quickly develop a feel for the countless facets that lie behind the concept of sustainability. This gives them a deeper awareness of important sustainability issues. Forma Futura values the fresh and unbiased view that young professionals bring to the company. Thanks to their unfamiliar perspective and complementary viewpoint, good ideas often emerge that can be implemented in new projects. The interns are integrated into everyday working life as fully-fledged team members.
"The pleasant atmosphere in the team and the sound support during the internship meant that I was able to expand and deepen my knowledge and gain an exciting insight into the work of Forma Futura."
- Jana Silberring, former intern
Diverse range of tasks
During the internship, the young professionals work in the sustainability team, where they learn from scratch how Forma Futura defines and assesses sustainability. Their work mainly involves assessing the sustainability performance of companies in which Forma Futura invests its clients' assets. The young professionals learn how to prepare a sustainability analysis and write their own analyses in a timely manner. As the sustainability team always works according to the dual control principle, i.e. every company analysis is subject to a second assessment by a team member, quality is guaranteed at all times.
"Carrying out company analyses, making comparisons between the sustainability performance of similar companies or working out Forma Futura's position on pesticides - these are just some of the diverse tasks I was able to work on during my internship."
- Benjamin Belser, former trainee
In addition to company analyses, the internship covers a wide range of tasks. For example, the interns monitor the controversies that are written about companies from the investment universe in newspapers and reports. They are also given the opportunity to delve deeper into certain topics and write their own articles about them. The resulting position and background papers are published on the Forma Futura website. By participating in events in the field of sustainable finance and exchanging ideas with like-minded people, the interns can also expand their network outside of Forma Futura. Presentations to the company as a whole help to develop their presentation skills.
"During the internship, I learned to distinguish between empty words in company reports and statements with substance. This is a key skill in today's world, where all companies claim to be sustainable."
- Serena Rickenbacher, former intern/junior sustainability analyst
Training at Forma Futura
Internship
Forma Futura offers an annual internship for a minimum of six to a maximum of twelve months. This takes place in the sustainability team, and it is possible to gain insights into the portfolio management and customer advisory departments on a daily basis. The offer is aimed at young people who are studying or would like to complete an internship following their Bachelor's or Master's degree. The internship can be undertaken in parallel with studies to ensure an ideal learning effect. However, the workload must be at least 80 percent. As sustainability is a multifaceted interplay of different disciplines, a wide range of study combinations are suitable for an internship. A member of the sustainability team is the contact person for interns. Forma Futura attaches great importance to ensuring that there is a common set of values between Forma Futura and the interns.
Career insight
Since 2020, Forma Futura has been offering younger people who are interested in a sustainable financial system the opportunity to gain an insight into a career. Pupils who are about to decide on an apprenticeship or a course of study can register for this. If capacity is available, a day is organized during which interested parties can get to know the company better.
