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Dream job for Norwegian students

May 10, 2004, 17:00 CEST

Norwegian students have voted Statoil as their top employer of choice for the third year in a row.

This is the eighth year that the group has headed this list among technology students, and its third year as the leading choice with economics students.

According to Universum, which carried out the survey, it is unusual for one employer to be acclaimed as the first choice by both categories.

Finland's Nokia is the only earlier example among European and American companies to achieve such a position in similar surveys.

The Universum communications award was accepted last week on behalf of Statoil by Kjølv Eivind Egeland, senior vice president for human resources.

Annual surveys on the preferred employer are conducted by Universum among final-year students at Norwegian universities and university colleges.

Responses in this year's survey were obtained from just over 2,000 students at 13 educational institutions.

"We're obviously very pleased with this result," says Mr Egeland. "In my view, it reflects our broad contacts with Norwegian institutions of higher education and a well-functioning recruitment and promotional programme."

He believes that Statoil has a reputation for offering interesting jobs and a mode of working which allows young people to show what they are capable of.

"But that also carries an obligation. We must continuously develop as a company and an employer."

Statoil has worked purposefully for a number of years in promoting itself to Norwegian students. Thanks to active participation from its specialist teams, the group has succeeded in presenting itself as an attractive and exciting place to work which facilitates team work and learning in a strong specialist setting.

Students give weight to Statoil's international commitment and opportunities for working internationally.

They have also ranked the group's trainee programme as the most attractive compared with other companies.