“There are advanced and exciting tech jobs here in Halmstad”

The air buzzed with conversations, curiosity and future plans as this year’s ITE fair took place at Halmstad University in early November. During one afternoon, students had the opportunity to meet companies from the region and beyond, establish connections, and learn more about graduation projects, internships and future career opportunities.

Every autumn, the ITE fair brings together students from the School of Information Technology (ITE) at Halmstad University. This year saw a record number of participants, with more than 600 students having the opportunity to mingle with representatives from 30 companies. For many students, the fair is a significant step towards entering the workforce.

“It is an afternoon full of energy, curiosity and meaningful conversations between students and companies”, says Nicolina Månsson, Programme Director for the programmes Computer Engineer, Mechatronic Engineer and Electrical Engineer at the University.

“There is a constant buzz around our stand with students wanting to talk to us.”

Tobias Delén, Electronical Engineer at Wordline

Work globally with a base in Halmstad

One of the companies present was Worldline, one of the world’s largest firms in payment solutions. At its Halmstad office, the company develops payment terminals mainly for the Nordic market.

“It is important for us to show that there are advanced and exciting tech jobs here in Halmstad”, says Henry Andersson, developer at Worldline and alumnus of Halmstad University. He adds:

“We want to show students that you can work internationally and still have your base here.”

Henry Andersson graduated from the programme Computer Engineer and went on to complete the Master’s Programme in Embedded and Intelligent Systems in 2017. Today, he works with app development and systems for payment terminals. He sees growing demand in areas such as app development, backend and infrastructure.

“It is always valuable to have expertise and go deeper into areas that are in demand. AI will not take our jobs – there will still be a need for people who can understand and review results. We use AI for simple tasks in our daily work, but it cannot manage the more complex ones”, explains Henry Andersson.

Henry Andersson emphasises the importance of building deep expertise in areas where there is demand.

Engagement in hobby projects pays off

From Axis Communications in Lund, Tobias Delén was one of the company’s representatives at the fair. He, too, is an alumnus of Halmstad University. During his studies in electrical engineering, he completed both his internship and graduation project at Axis – and was later employed there. Today, he assists the company in developing machines that calibrate and assemble various components of surveillance cameras.

“I started at Axis in my third year at the University, and it has been a perfect transition from studies to work”, says Tobias Delén. He remembers when he visited the ITE fair as a student last year,

“The fair was great then, and it still is. There is a constant buzz around our stand with students wanting to talk to us.”

Axis Communications primarily seeks students for graduation projects in various areas, including electronics, mechanics, IT security and data. To students who feel nervous about entering the job market, alumnus Tobias Delén offers this advice:

“My best tip is to show commitment. If you have hobby projects alongside your studies, it shows that you are passionate about what you do. The student project HUST, where students build a solar-powered racing car, is a perfect example of that”, says Tobias Delén.