Case study · 2025
Together with Generali Česká pojišťovna we co-created a trainee program for Gen Z: from rewriting recruitment copy through a personal-development methodology to a communication strategy. The goal was to build a program that attracts and retains the best young talent.
Scope
10 program phases
Project length
up to 6 months
Method
Audit + research + design
program phases completely reworked from a Gen Z perspective
cross-cutting areas (communication, managers, development, networking…)
of recommendations backed by our own research among Gen Z
01·Context & challenge
Generali Česká pojišťovna was preparing a nine-month trainee program for 12 fresh graduates. The question was how to make it genuinely appeal to a generation with radically different expectations than the previous ones.
Who is the client
Generali Česká pojišťovna is the largest insurer on the Czech market, with over 200 years of history. The trainee program is one of its key tools for a long-term talent pipeline and is built on a model of 60% real work in a team, 20% development, 20% a shared sustainability project, with rotations across departments (IT, data, legal, strategy) and networking with top management.
Gen Z is the hardest group to recruit and at the same time the group that decides the future of companies. It has radically different expectations than previous generations. Generali needed:
Ad copy, video communication and recruiting on the platforms where Gen Z actually looks.
Trainees involved in real projects, with a clear development structure they manage themselves.
Relationships between trainees, informal meetings with leadership, activities that connect people beyond Teams.
Tone, format and channels Gen Z takes seriously, because they respect its way of communicating.
Our brief
Generali invited us to go through the entire nine-month program through a Gen Z lens and, together with them, finish it into a form that genuinely appeals to talent from this generation. They had the program loosely pre-prepared by an internal team; our task was to bring it to the detail level: in copy, formats, methodologies and communication strategy.
02·Our approach
We proceeded methodically. First we understood, then we measured, then we built together with Generali. Every adjustment of ours came from data about Gen Z or from a diagnosis of the program’s real state.
A joint audit of the existing program design across 10 steps: from recruitment to the development centre.
Our own research among Gen Z: what they really expect from a trainee program.
Concrete changes in copy, formats, methodologies and communication channels, backed by research data.
The Generali program consists of 10 consecutive phases, each with its own structure, communication and goal. We assessed each phase individually and as a whole, so they follow on meaningfully from the perspective of the Gen Z trainee experience.
Plus 6 cross-cutting areas: Recruitment communication, Cooperation with managers, Candidate expectations, Onboarding packages, Connecting trainees and the chatbot Arnold. Each with its own set of co-created solutions.
03·Key findings
We pick four of dozens of concrete solutions we set up together with Generali. They show that the difference between an 'ordinary' and a 'Gen Z-functional' program often lies in details as well as structural choices.
Original state
Descriptive ad copy. Phrases like 'self-development', 'takes you seriously', 'own project'.
Our solution
Hooks like 'Looking for something more?', 'You won't just run to the copier'. The phrase 'personal development' and a clearly stated salary (200 CZK/h).
Why it works
Gen Z responds to concrete hooks and transparency, especially about money.
Original state
Online meetings on the first day with speakers from individual departments.
Our solution
Short quality e-learning videos, playable anytime (even on the tram). Plus three possible LMS variants by budget.
Why it works
Gen Z is mobile-first and asynchronous. It saves the company time (film once) and the trainees’ time (play anytime).
Original state
All 12 trainees worked on a single shared sustainability project.
Our solution
Three four-person teams. Each with its own mentor as PM. Prepared via an 8-hour design-thinking session ('Birth Giving').
Why it works
A four-person team is the ideal size for real collaboration, clear ownership and healthy competition between teams.
Original state
Speed dating with top management as a form of networking. Traditional communication channels.
Our solution
Informal meetings like 'a beer with the CEO' and cooperation with Gen Z influencers (David Luu, Vilém Franěk from Close Friends & Co.).
Why it works
Informal meetings foster authenticity. And influencers carry the program to where Gen Z actually spends its time.
04·Outputs & impact
Our work didn't end with a presentation. Generali left with materials their HR and L&D team can really use for this and future cohorts of the program.
Joint work on every step: from ad wording through iconography in communication materials to the methodology of the closing development centre. All with a clear 'how' and 'why'.
A hierarchy of messages (reward, self-development, own project, flexibility, meeting leadership, community), tone, formats and recommended channels including jobs.cz, social media and influencer marketing.
A personal development plan the trainee writes themselves, with a clear structure of goals, regular check-ups with a manager and a final reflection. A tool reusable for future cohorts too.
Mentoring, voluntary check-ups, two-way feedback, involving trainees in standard team processes. A practical guide to genuinely developing trainees.
For every recommendation, traceable evidence from our research: what Gen Z really expects from trainee programs and what attracts it.
Generali had a great intention and a solidly pre-prepared program. We co-built it with them in the details where it's decided whether Gen Z says 'this is for me'. It's often invisible but decisive work.
05·Why GenZ Consulting
We specialise in Gen Z and connect it with HR consulting. We work with our own research data, which we update regularly.
We back every recommendation with our own research among Gen Z. We work with current data about this generation.
We work at the strategic layer (program structure) and on individual wordings in the copy. Both in one team.
Our recommendations come from direct knowledge of how Gen Z thinks and communicates. We speak its language.
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