Internship Programme for School Leaders

Together with the Tallinn Education Department and talent management company Fontes PMP, the Good Deed Education Fund launched an internship programme for school leaders to support the best management practices at schools. The significant challenges of education – finding and keeping teachers, implementing a changed approach to learning, and helping students with different needs and limited resources – require a new level of ability from school leaders.

School leaders in the programme undergo a ten-week management internship in companies with a recognised management culture. After the end of the internship, the school leader applies the knowledge acquired in his school, and the cooperation with the mentor from the company and the Fontes coach continues. School leaders have undertaken various development projects, from updating the strategy and improving team management (onboarding programmes for new employees, recruitment, 1:1 interviews, salary system) to wider use of digital opportunities.

Under the leadership of the Good Deed Education Fund, the programme has expanded across Estonia. School leaders from Tallinn, Tartu, Viimsi, Lääne-Harju parish schools, and state and vocational schools under the Ministry of Education and Research have completed the internship. 14 companies have contributed with internships: Bolt, Coop Pank, Ericsson Eesti, Fortumo, Glia, LHV, Pipedrive, Swedbank, SEB, SOL Baltics, Telia, Töötukassa, Veriff and Wise.

As facilitators of the internship programme, we have contributed to the management of the programme and communication and financially supported the development support of the mentors and school administrators of the companies participating in the programme. We want the programme to grow independently and contribute to the development of Estonian school leaders in the long term.