The SI Summer Academy for Young Professionals

The Swedish Institute (SI) invites young professionals to apply for participation in SAYP 2017.

SAYP is a training programme developed to build new networks, knowledge and practices for increased transparency, efficiency and resilience in public administration in the Baltic Sea region and in the EU Eastern Partnership countries. The programme also aims to strengthen young professionals and their individual capabilities to meet the requirements of a modern governance structure.

This year, the programme offers three different thematic modules that applicants may choose from, depending on which topics within sustainable modern governance they are interested in.

The programme consists of three main components; the first takes place in the participants’ home countries in the form of preparatory meetings and/or reading of material provided by the thematic module organisers. This is followed by an intense thematic two-weeks-module in Sweden during the period of June–August. The module is followed up in the participants’ home countries during autumn, in the form of, for example study visits or workshops.

After participating in SAYP, all former participants become members of the SI Alumni Network, a vast professional and global contact network meant to keep building good practices and mutual learning processes for a sustainable future. SI also offers SAYP alumni exclusively the opportunity to apply for Peer shadowing, a short-term mobility grant which allows for week-long visits to an organisation in another country, where the visiting peer can closely follow/shadow one or several colleagues to observe/study how their workplace/organisation is structured and functions in practice.

In 2017, SAYP offers three separate two-week thematic modules with 30-35 participants each. The modules, which have different topics/focus, are held at Malmö University between 13-24 June, at Linköping University 7-18 August, and Lund University 14-25 August.

The application period for SAYP 2017 is 16 January – 19 February 2017.

Who can apply?

The programme is targeted primarily at young professionals (up to 35 years old) already employed in the state structures, working with development of policy and measures to create a more transparent, resilient and efficient public administration. But SAYP has a cross-sectoral ambition and we also welcome participants from other parts of the society, if the thematic focus of the module is relevant for the candidate’s professional development, and to the work at his/her home organisation.

In 2017, we are focusing on young professionals from these groups:

• Policymakers (politicians, government officials, employees of political parties)
• Public servants (non-political civil servants working at government agencies)
• Civil society workers (CSO/NGO volunteers/employees)

A general requirement for any applicant is a good command of English language and a relevant education, consisting of at least three years of previous studies. Previous participants of SAYP are not eligible to apply.

Eligible countries

Citizens of Belarus, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Sweden and Ukraine up to 35 years old may apply to SAYP. Young professionals employed in any of the above-mentioned countries but with a citizenship of another country in the Baltic Sea region are also qualified to apply. Young professionals currently not working in any of the eligible countries according to the above cannot apply.

Practical details

Participation in the programme is offered free of charge and includes, meals, accommodation and travel expenses to Sweden. Some minor expenses may be expected during the stay in Sweden, depending on what the participants choose to do in their spare time and during the free days in the weekend.

How to apply?

The application is made electronically, using the SI online application portal. You need to go through the following steps in order to apply for participation in SAYP 2017:

1. Choose a module that you find interesting and relevant to your professional development (see a short description of the modules below). Keep in mind that while it is possible to apply for several of the modules, you may only attend one of them. Therefore, in the motivation letter you should select which modules you are interested in, and in what order/priority.
2. Prepare your Motivation letter according to the SI template. Motivation letters in any other templates or formats are NOT valid. Make sure to read the questions in the Motivation Letter thoroughly and be specific and personal in your reasoning. Without exception, answers may not exceed the allowed number of characters (letters and spaces) for each question.
3. Prepare your Curriculum Vitae (CV) in the Europass format of maximum 3 pages. A CV submitted in any other format than the Europass is NOT valid. Additional pages will be disregarded.
4. Prepare a Letter of Reference according to the SI template. Remember that a letter of reference that is not signed is NOT valid.
5. The application must include an English language certificate. If you do not have an English language certificate, prepare the SI template to be submitted with your application. An English language teacher or other professional, who can evaluate your English language proficiency, may sign the template to validate your English language level. To participate in SAYP 2017 we will require at least English 6 or Independent User B2 (in average) according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.
6. Apply using the SI online application portal (https://applications.si.se/LogInand) attach the necessary enclosures. The link to the application portal will be available on this page during the application period 16 January – 19 February 2017. Remember that an application that has not been submitted within this period will not be taken into consideration.

Key dates and deadlines for SAYP 2017

• 16 January-19 February 2017: Application period
• March 2017: Successful candidates are confirmed for participation
• 12–23 June 2017: Thematic module, held at Malmö University
• 7-18 August 2017: Thematic module, held at Linköping University
• 14-25 August 2017: Thematic module, held at Lund University
• October–December 2017: Evaluation, peer shadowing and follow-up activities

Programme outline

In 2017, SAYP will be held as three separate thematic modules. While it is only possible to attend one of the modules in Sweden, applicants may apply for one, two or all three modules. In this case, please rank the modules in your application. Below you find a short description of the three modules of SAYP 2017.

For more information http://bit.ly/2j5yvGh