Dow Hellas was established in Greece in 1960 with the construction of the first European polystyrene manufacturing facility at Lavrion. We are proud of the last fifty years, not only in the quality solutions we supply, but also in the positive impact our company has had on employment for Greece and the local communities in which we operate. Greece remains a strategic location for our future growth in the region and despite the ongoing crisis, our commitment here remains strong. When faced with significant challenges, you need to respond, you need to transform. At Dow, transformation has been our philosophy since the company started almost 120 years ago. In just the last two decades, our company has grown and evolved from an $18 billion manufacturer of chemicals and plastics to a $49 billion science company, delivering a broad range of technology-based solutions to customers in 180 countries. Today we are applying our expertise in science and technology to address some of the most pressing needs of a growing world population, ranging from providing adequate food and water, to the need for sustainable energy. However to continue to do this, we need to keep feeding our talent pipeline with high calibre people trained in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) subjects and many other disciplines. Answer: The Regeneration Program. The ReGeneration (ReGen) Program is unique. Originally developed to halt Greece's alarming brain drain whilst bridging young talent with career opportunities, it has and continues to do much more than this. The ReGen program has attracted 14,000 applications in just a couple of years since its introduction. What however remains unique about the ReGen program is that it combines internship with leadership development and corporate social responsibility by empowering young graduates with valuable transferable skills. This impactful training and coaching begins during the application process itself. The screening is professionally administered, multi-faceted and rigorous. Feedback and coaching from certified trainers is given at every stage, which is valuable learning for all the applicants. Employers such as Dow are engaged early to understand the broad requirements, but re-engaged again later when the screened list of candidates is available for the direct company interviews. The talent is exceptional. For Dow Hellas, we have been able to tap into an extraordinary pool of talent. With minimal guidance, our ReGen hires have added great value to our teams in technical, business, supply chain and communication disciplines. They are not only academically well educated, but they are passionate, keen to embrace change and in the process contribute new ideas and develop. Our ReGen hires have very quickly understood their responsibilities, have fully integrated into our company culture and are adding value. For us it's been an extremely positive experience and we now utilize the program as a pipeline for our hiring opportunities. We would definitely encourage other organizations to also participate and become a catalyst for change as well. After all - we are still in a crisis. Dr Despina Anastasiou; Regional Leader Dow Central Europe Follow ReGeneration on Twitter @ReGenerationGR -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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