JYSK benefits from cooperation with master’s degree

The first class has just completed the master's degree at Aarhus University, which JYSK is a part of. One of them has already been employed at JYSK.

In 2020, the new master's degree programme in Commercial and Retail Management started at Aarhus University, which has been created in collaboration with a number of companies, including JYSK. The degree will help prepare the new graduates for some of the tasks that can be experienced in administrative functions within retail, among other things.

The degree also benefits JYSK, which for some time has experienced how the industry has become more digital and complex. Ann Høien Ørsted Christiansen, who is Team Leader Recruitment/Employer Branding in JYSK HR, tells, that the students from the master's degree are now better prepared for these challenges.

"We find that it is easier to recruit the students and recent graduates from the master's degree for a number of positions and internships at our head office, as they have a broad understanding of retail. This way, we experience the benefits of the collaboration, while we also help the degree ourselves with financial support and various cases used in class," says Ann.

A good match

Amalie Schwartz Engelsted Petersen is part of the first class to finish the degree and is now employed at JYSK. Her journey in JYSK started when she discovered an intern position at JYSK last year, where she ended up becoming both intern and student helper. However, Amalie's interest in JYSK started already on the first day of her master's degree.

"On the first day, employees from JYSK came out and presented a case that we had to solve in our study group, which we would get feedback on afterward. It seemed to me that those who came from JYSK were great colleagues and had good values, which was also the reason why I later applied for an internship at JYSK," says Amalie.

Because the master's degree has made it possible to combine theory with actual situations within the industry, she has found it easier to understand her tasks at JYSK and to some extent also had the opportunity to impact her own tasks, she says.

Cooperation between departments

It was particularly her interest in linking theory with practice that led her and her study partner to use JYSK as a case in their thesis, which was about customer experiences across different sales channels. Here they had interviews with E-commerce, IT, and retail.

"The fantastic thing about both the education and JYSK is that there are many ways in which you can gain knowledge about retail. Both in my various positions and in my thesis, I experienced that JYSK's value 'Bring dedication – meet possibilities' can be found everywhere in JYSK. If you want to learn more, there is always someone who will help you along the way," she says.

She will now be able to experience the cooperation between departments even further, as she will spend time with different departments in turn and learn even more about JYSK as a Graduate in the Marketing department.