Start of the Young Professionals Program NUMBER 048 ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: FEBRUARY 2006 January 2016 The World Bank Group Archives Exhibit Series contains exhibits originally published on the Archives’ external website beginning in 2002. When the Archives’ website was transferred to a new platform in 2015, it was decided that older exhibits would be converted to pdf format and made available as a series on the World Bank’s external database, Documents & Reports. These exhibits, authored by World Bank archivists, highlight key events, personalities, and publications in the history of the World Bank. They also bring attention to some of the more fascinating archival records contained in the Archives’ holdings. To view current exhibits, visit the Exhibits page on the Archives’ website. Start of the Young Professionals Program Richard Van Wagenen, Dean of the Graduate School of American University, was invited by the Bank to assist in the creation of the program. He joined the staff of the Bank in November 1962, and immediately started screening applicants, both within the Bank and also externally. First Group of Young Professionals, October 1963 “We made our need known, mainly to universities in various parts of the world, by announcements and by a few visits, the latter chiefly outside the U.S. We also examined applications already in the Personnel files from those who were “too young and inexperienced� to be appointed directly to the staff. What were we looking for? A superior education in some field relevant to a career in development work, with a top-notch academic record, was essential for those recently out of graduate school,� said Van Wagenen. (International Bank Notes, October 1973) The application process began with the paper applications. After the first round of elimination, the remaining applicants were narrowed down through a series of interviews with Bank staff members. Despite initial skepticism, the success of this Young Professionals, October 1966 program was acknowledged as more than 200 professionals applied during the first year. By 1972, the ratio was 44 applicants for every one appointment. The Junior Professional Recruitment and Training Program began with an orientation consisting of three weeks of special lectures and a full-time course of two months in applied development economics. This was followed by an eighteen month probationary period with three rotating assignments. However, the two month formal course was abandoned in September 1964 due to the exemplary performance of the first two groups. They proved to be outstanding staff members even during training. “One day in the corridor, the Bank’s leading Transportation Economist asked about two of the YPs who had been working with him for a few months after their probationary period. In that short time, he told me in an astonished tone of voice, they had become two of the very best Transportation Economists anywhere in the Bank,� said Richard Van Young Professionals, October 1967 Wagenen. (International Bank Notes, October 1973) During their career at the Bank, many Young Professionals obtained high positions in the organization such as resident representatives, department directors, and Vice Presidents. The program was, and remains, a very important tool for bringing into the Bank young and motivated individuals from all over the world to join the fight against poverty.