Graduate Trainee Programs in MNCs : an exploratory study of early breakups

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to covering the gap in the research literature on the Graduate Trainee Programs that appeared between the 1990s and today and generate a set of recommendations for companies to help them make their GTPs more effective. More specifically the thesis focuses on two issues related to the GTPs: describing the Graduate Trainee Programs in Multinational Companies today and uncovering the reasons why some graduates initiate early breakups with their companies after the program’s completion. In order to investigate these issues two surveys were conducted: a set of interviews with companies’ representatives and with graduates who initiated the breakups. The interviews showed that most graduates left because of insufficient opportunities for advancement, insufficiently challenging jobs and dissatisfaction with working conditions. Based on the results of the surveys a set of recommendations for the companies was given and an important step towards the gap covering was made.