Even in a tight labor market, status holders have difficulty accessing jobs that match their qualities. The UAF is changing this, together with companies and educational institutions. For example, Windesheim University of Applied Sciences ran a trial this academic year in which status holders worked towards a technical job or further study. The pilot will be continued.
Soroush Yarjani (31) | mechanical engineer from Lelystad | participant in the pilot, in photo above
'Ideal trajectory for me'
I am a mechanical engineer and before I fled Iran I had been working for five years. I discussed my educational opportunities with the UAF. I wanted to do a master's degree myself, but the Dutch language turned out to be too high a barrier.'
'This trajectory is ideal for me. Everything is focused on my work and the workplace. That's the great thing, I'm learning the language of technology here. I have now found an internship with job prospects.'
'The language will be fine. I worked hard on that myself. I started doing volunteer work at the community center. And online I made friends with a retired gentleman in Zeeland with whom I discuss poems. This afternoon we will look at a poem by Willem Wilmink. But nowhere do I learn the language as quickly as on the work floor.'
'Tonnie (internship coordinator at Windesheim, ed.) arranged the internship and my internship company has now offered me a job. I will go through the contract carefully with Geert (teacher at Windesheim, ed.). What am I currently doing? I maintain and overhaul molds for a medical equipment company. Nice word, eh, molds? So I learned that here at Windesheim!'
Team Windesheim | Alies Vlasbloem is team leader and teacher NT2 | Geert Doornbos is a lecturer in refrigeration technology and lecturer in Technology | Tonnie de Haan is internship coordinator (not in the photo: coach Lonneke Timmer)
'Successful pilot will be continued'
Alies: 'Our status holders are technically trained, motivated and have an enormous dose of perseverance. They can technically do everything, just… not yet in the Netherlands. We teach language for six months, NT2 levels B1 and B2, focused on technology. And we offer other subjects such as mathematics, technology, job application skills and intercultural skills. The second part revolves around the internship.'
Tonnie: 'It almost always works to place someone. That is customization. Something beautiful always arises at companies with an open attitude. Sometimes it takes trial and error, but we can work it out with every company.'
Geert: 'Our education team is small and flexible. We easily add knowledge and skills to our lessons. The market is dynamic and we adapt easily.'
Alies: 'The results of the pilot are excellent. We have nine participants who are moving on to a job or relevant further study. They come from everywhere. From Groningen, Eindhoven, Enschede. An evaluation point is the breadth of the concept of technology. We started the pilot with a number of IT professionals, but we gradually discovered that IT is a separate discipline.'
Geert: 'And as far as I'm concerned, we're getting rid of unnecessary rules. By the way, we do not use the term orientation year. We ourselves speak of status holders in technology.'
Alies: 'The collaboration with the UAF is crucial. The UAF financially guaranteed the start of the pilot before DUO came on board. We have been working together very well for more than ten years and we share our principles.'
Nargis Safarova | UAF trajectory counselor
'There are still barriers to lower'
'We see that many status holders have a background in technology. But even with completed diplomas, it is difficult for them to find work, while the need for technicians is great. Apparently there are barriers and with this project we are lowering those barriers in a very targeted manner.'
'The UAF has more than just encouraged the university to start this process. We also co-financed the program and helped the Windesheim team with the set-up based on our experience with previous work-study programs. We also provided job application training to participants looking for an internship. And once participants completed an internship, we provided intercultural communication training.'
'A sustainable outflow is the goal, towards a job or study. And what Alies says is correct. Windesheim and the UAF are on the same page. We both see the opportunities and the added value.'
Brenda Goedhart, process manager at construction group Van Wijnen
'With good guidance, status holders can be of great value'
'We participate in this project because we want to take responsibility. This is a social issue and it fits in with our mission: building space together for a better life. It can be important for us too. Although we are facing difficult years due to the lack of nitrogen space, we are still eager for senior constructors and engineers.'
'The pilot is now over at Van Wijnen Engineering Emmen. It was a success. Although we have also come across points of interest. For example, Dutch building standards and construction methods usually differ considerably from those in the country of origin. In addition, our construction jargon appears to be very specific. We can ask someone to make a load-bearing capacity calculation for a beam and an upright, but then you have to know what a beam and an upright are.'
'We're going to work on that. At Van Wijnen we are developing an introductory program for status holders for three locations. We will roll out practice projects in the first two weeks. This way we can determine together with the status holder what extra is needed to be able to participate fully.'
'We believe that we can achieve a lot together. The status holders are committed, eager to learn, analytical and have perseverance. With the right guidance, they can be of great value to our sector and that is partly why it is good news that this pilot will be continued. Oh and can I give another compliment? The input of the UAF and the Windesheim team really make the difference.'
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