Norwegian engineering and economics students have voted Statoil as the most popular employer in the country for the fourth time in a row, with the prize awarded in Oslo on 27 April.
The annual survey of final-year students at Norwegian universities and university colleges to identify their preferred employers was conducted by pollster Universum Communications.
It is unusual for a single company to win the Universum Communications Award in both engineering and economics categories.
A total of 2,400 students were polled at 13 higher education institutions in Norway, with no less than 63 per cent underlining the importance of securing a challenging job.
“We’re very pleased and proud to have won this award,” says Jens R Jenssen, executive vice president for human resources at Statoil.
“This honours all Statoil employees, because they’ve helped to build up the group as the bearer of a culture and a values base which makes us attractive to young people and graduates.”
He believes that the prize commits the group to putting further effort into its organisation.
“We can’t sit back and rest on our laurels. Receiving such an award encourages continued improvement.
“We’ll go on developing so that we can retain this position. It’s crucial for us to have able employees who identify with our values and want to continue developing the group.”
Statoil has worked purposefully for a number of years to enhance its image in Norway’s higher education sector.
Weight has been given to broad and close contact between its specialists and various student communities.
One example is the annual Svalex expedition to Svalbard, which attracted some 90 student geoscientists, petroleum technologists, reservoir engineers and drilling specialists in 2004.