MERLION launches new phase of the "Partner Factory" together with the Higher School of Economics

MERLION, the largest Broadline Distributor on the Russian market and one of the leaders in VAD-distribution, is launching a new phase of the «Partner Factory» program. The project is supported by leading Russian economic universities and Russian Microsoft branch. It is aimed at attracting talented youth to the business related to the development and promotion of cloud technologies.

In 2017, the "Partner Factory of MERLION" was supported by Nizhny Novgorod branch of the Higher School of Economics, which took the baton from the Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.

We will recall how the MERLION’s "Partner Factory" was implemented last year, with Plekhanov Academy students taking part in it. After testing, only five out of 77 people were admitted to training, three of whom completed a full three-month internship as employees of the "Spectrasoft" company.

The participants highly appreciated both the theoretical knowledge gained and the real professional experience as the team member of a successful IT company. The first steps in career, made under the guidance of experts and mentors from Microsoft, MERLION and Spectrasoft, allowed students to form their own idea of ​​how IT business is organized. Interns received a salary, worked with the schedule convenient for them, and combined work with studies. As a result, students were in favor of a possible further development of their career in the field of IT.

"I think that the project turned out to be very useful for me. I’ve learned to work with objections, become better at understanding Microsoft products. I really liked the introductory trainings. I found them were very informative not only as seller, but also as leader. Since my profession is related in some way to IT sphere, I will continue to work in this industry, but not in the sales sphere, I would opt for another activity. I also found it useful to gain sales and real work experience: when you get tasks, plan, communicate with colleagues and clients. The latter taught me restraint, persistence, and stress-resistance. I think that in addition to professional skills, I have also improved my personal qualities. In particular, the fear of communicating with unknown people, the fear of receiving a refusal or a rude response disappeared. After the internship, I began to be open with such communication. Thank you so much for the opportunities provided! I was pleased to study and work in the team of professionals! "- Ekaterina Maykova.

"I think that this project allows to get new professional experience and experience of working with people. I would like to continue my career in IT sphere, especially in Microsoft. Working with people and objections is the most valuable experience I have gained."- Xenia Nevar.

This year, the MERLION's Partner Factory is reaching a new level, which implies close interaction with Microsoft partners from Nizhny Novgorod.

The presentation of the project for students of Nizhny Novgorod NRU HSE was held on May 19, 2017.