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How to make the Salland region more attractive to technically oriented young professionals? Six companies are working together with other innovation hubs and educational institutions on this question in a new innovation hub called FutureTech Salland. By joining forces, knowledge and skills come together. By doing so, the participating companies hope to facilitate young professionals with technically innovative issues.
The owners of Bajo Bouw, Bepacom, Derks Marketing, Pan Oston, PCA and Roelofsen Horsetrucks have been working together for some time to explore what that collaboration will look like. "We want to work closely with knowledge institutions". Says Gerben Derks, who sees many opportunities. As a booster of the first hour, he saw that innovation hubs could contribute enormously to the development of both students and businesses. The beauty of such a hub is that you can combine clout and become more attractive and visible to young people. Derks managed to bring the other participating companies along with him in this story. From knowledge institutions University of Twente and Saxion, Windesheim, Deltion and Avensus, lines of communication have now also been established to the newly formed hub. "At educational institutions, they are always looking to connect with practice, but for us as a company it is not always easy to open doors if you cannot be structurally on top of it. With a new hub, we hope to be able to do just that structurally." Says Maurice Tijs owner of PCA.
Ralf Hovenga CEO at Pan Oston saw the potential in the hubs from the start. In particular, the cross-pollination of young people and other companies can be very interesting to let them discover what suits them well. "When you facilitate that then obviously you are also on the radar of those young professionals." Aldus Hovenga. Cross-fertilisation is also taking place between the companies themselves. "You see that information is already being exchanged on how to tackle things. You can learn an enormous amount from each other. You can obviously expand that aspect along the way".
FutureTech Salland will not primarily be about developing new innovations. Although that certainly can and should be an outcome. The aim is more about hooking young people up with the issues of the future. "As a technically oriented company, you are always dealing with new developments. You want people who Hoe mooi zou het zijnembrace those developments and work with them". Says Herwin Kemper of Bepacom.
The young talents can do their internships and graduation projects within FutureTech Salland in all kinds of different disciplines. "At Bajo Bouw, I find it very interesting how our internal processes can be further automated. For us, these are also innovations. How nice it would be if you can get young potential to work on these kinds of assignments." Says Nico Neppelenbroek of Bajo Bouw from Mariënheem.
Research has shown that young professionals at the beginning of their careers in the job market find it difficult to choose. There is a huge amount on offer, but what is a good fit? They have hardly any experience and there is a lot of difference between companies and types of assignments. In fact, they do not yet know what is possible and often only discover while working what they are good or not good at. "How nice it would be if you could let them discover early on where their talents lie and what the possibilities are with that." Says Dominique Roelofsen of Roelofsen Horsetrucks. "You basically facilitate the wishes of these young people. And introduce them to different companies that each have their own culture and approach." The basis of all this should be in place by September this year.
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