"MHP Talent Sprint 2024: 30 best students of MHP dual education took part in a technical hackathon for two days

Thirty of the best students of MHP's dual education program took part in a technical hackathon for two days, UNN reports citing the company's press service.

Details

It is reported that this is the second time the MHP team has organized a similar camp.

"However, this year's event is unique, because for the first time it is a collaboration between the youth engagement program and the idea bank, and its participants are students who continue their studies as part of dual education and are already working at MHP enterprises.

The combination of theory and practice at work is a development prospect, invaluable experience, and a career start from the student years. Not all companies offer such opportunities. But not MHP! The company not only attracts young people to the team, but also gives talented and creative people the opportunity to develop and grow the company," MHP believes.

The participants of the MHP Talent Sprint 2024 are representatives from different cities, production units and specialties of MHP enterprises. They were selected and the most motivated ones were given the opportunity to present their ideas at the technical hackathon.

"We have worked together to create a great tandem that will help our dual enrolled students to learn, prove themselves, show their capabilities, work results, and demonstrate their motivation and proactivity. And it will help us find other ways to implement certain ideas that were submitted to the Bank of Ideas," comments Ksenia Motorina, MHP's professional staff training specialist, one of the organizers and initiators of the event.

Involving employees in the development of the company is a successful case of MHP. The Bank of Ideas program is a tool that helps employees grow and develop professionally within the company. At the same time, it brings a fresh vision of the company's development.

"The Idea Bank is a platform where we can communicate with our employees so that we can hear suggestions and solutions to ideas. It can be something cosmic and powerful, something completely new on the market that we can do on our own. Or it can be a point solution that will improve only a certain employee, a certain workplace. And what we can do here and now to make it better than yesterday and even better tomorrow!" says Anastasia Sambur, project manager of the Bank of Ideas project.

Thirty participants immersed themselves in the atmosphere of an offsite camp in a countryside complex near Vinnytsia. The program of the tech hackathon was dynamic, full of interactive activities, ranging from morning exercises to the development of business ideas.

"Young teams are about creating something new: new projects, new ideas, new people.

My advice is to invest a lot at the start. In your development plan, including your manager's expectations of you. You need to work for results. If you have a goal, great! Share these results with people. When all those around you know what you want, where you are going, they will also have an idea, they will know what they want to achieve, who they want to become - then there will be a result!" says Ruslan Volkov, Director of Vinnytsia Poultry Farm LLC

After a boost of motivation, the participants formed teams. Next, the most important part of the hackathon is to work on the project implementation with the help of training programs and the participation of business mentors. The latter are representatives of MHP enterprises. The role of mentors was to advise participants during project development.

"My role as a mentor was to give the participants more background, answer questions they had while working on their ideas, and guide them in the right direction. In my opinion, the approaches used by the students have a chance to live. Perhaps it needs to be implemented and tested for scaling. But I was impressed by the expertise and level of knowledge of the vast majority of students, and this suggests that the country has a good future," Serhii Korchystyi, Business Partner in Finance at Myronivska Poultry Farm, comments  .

A fresh look at the problem is the main advantage of the participants, as noted by all the mentors.

"I saw the involvement of the entire team. There was no such thing as someone working on an idea and someone staying away. Everyone was working to implement it," said Andriy Kosenkov, head of the cutting shop at Vinnytsia Poultry Farm.

The participants' ideas are in line with the relevance of MHP's operations. At the same time, in each business idea, the teams calculated the risks and benefits, costs and payback, technical capabilities and professional growth, focusing on optimizing production processes. The participants managed to impress the jury with their presentations.

"MHP is a place for development and learning. There are 400 students at our five enterprises, including those who are in their second year of dual education in our company. In general, more than 50% stay with us after graduation," says Anna Kalenska. "I am impressed by their perseverance and desire to realize their ideas. They have no barriers, they are bolder, they look at certain things in a simpler way. They have a different management experience, and this is what is needed for the development of both the company as a whole and employees who have been working for a long time," comments Anna Kalenska, a member of the jury and HR Director of Production, Technology and Quality.

"Two ideas really impressed me. The first is about meat recycling and the second is about plastic recycling at the enterprise. In general, such events are very relevant. I even participated in one once. It really gives an impetus to something new and creative," adds another jury member, Senior Business Partner for Finance at Vinnytsia Poultry Farm Maksym Kazmyruk.

Following the jury's deliberations, the winning project was about meat reconstruction. Daria Komar, a member of the winning team, a student at Bila Tserkva Agrarian University, who has been working at Myronivska Poultry Farm for a year and a half in the quality control and rearing department, told about this idea.

Members of the winning teams received engraved silver bracelets: "Take it and act!". The most active participant of the hackathon, Ivanna Tyufanova, a student of the National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture and an employee of the Starynska Poultry Farm, was also recognized. She also received a branded bracelet from MHP. The youngest participant, Eva Onuferko, a student of the Smila Technological College of the National University of Food Technologies and an employee of the Legko plant, received a tour of the Vinnytsia Poultry Farm as a gift. Another team that presented the idea of poultry calibration will develop their concept with MHP's specialists.

MHP is an international food and agro-technology company, a producer of high-quality and tasty food products that improve the lives of consumers. The company operates in agriculture, food production and retail and has production facilities in Ukraine and the Balkans, as well as subsidiaries in the Netherlands, the UK, the UAE, Saudi Arabia and other countries.

As a culinary company, MHP develops 18 food brands, including Nasha Ryaba, Appetitna, Legko, Bashchynsky, Skott Smeat, RyabChick and others. To ensure that Ukrainians always have access to high-quality and tasty food, the company and its partners are developing several chains: Myasomarket, Ezha Svicha, Nasha Ryaba, and Döner Market, a delicious, safe fast food chain.