How do we retain technical talent for the Northern Netherlands?
Together with Groningen Engineering Business Center (GEBC) of the University of Groningen we answer this question. We would do this in a workshop on Monday 16 March during the Conference Netherlands Digital 2020 in Groningen. The conference is cancelled because of measures to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus. However, we don't want to withhold the story from anyone. Read how knowledge sharing is in our DNA here.
Those who complete a technical degree have it all to choose from. Companies, governments, healthcare institutions, all compete for the best technical talent. Not only nationally, but also internationally. According to Joost Krebbekx, program manager of Innovatiecluster Drachten, it is no longer a matter of course for graduates to stay in the north of the Netherlands. ,,Every engineer, IT professional, operator or technical designer can choose from countless vacancies at attractive companies. Consequently, it is increasingly difficult for our companies to fill vacancies.” Northern high-tech companies are competing with the Twente, Delft and Eindhoven regions. To be ‘in the picture’ with students, they have set up a joint program. ,,Technical talents are already being introduced to our companies during their studies. This way they can see what we have to offer and what the North Netherlands has to offer in terms of interesting companies and jobs. Moreover, this way we work together to keep technical talent for our region and thus prevent a knowledge drain.”
Sharing knowledge
That program consists of two parts. Students get to know the companies with so-called high-tech safaris, and in close cooperation with universities, colleges and ROCs, the high-tech companies set up special educational programs. Krebbekx explains. ,,Sharing knowledge is in our DNA and is the starting point of our cooperation. It is therefore logical that we also like to do that with students, to captivate them and eventually to bind them.’’ During a safari, students visit several high-tech companies for a day for a substantive program. The business cluster organizes this together with student associations from Eindhoven, Delft, Twente and Groningen. But since two years, a safari is also part of the engineering physics and mathematics studies at the University of Groningen. ,,For the Engineering & Ethics lectures, we organize special routes along our companies with assignments tailored to the subject matter. I'll give you an example. Photonis in Roden makes nightvision equipment for defense purposes. Using self-prepared propositions, the students discuss with each other and with company employees the use of high-tech knowledge for peacekeeping or combat purposes. Afterwards, the students are introduced to the impressive capabilities of the nightvison equipment. In addition to the substantive challenge, the students immediately get an idea of the opportunities and possibilities of working at this company.’’
Educational programs
The second pillar for retaining technical talent for the region and the high-tech companies revolves around substantive educational programs. The high-tech companies are setting these up together with the regional educational institutions. For example, the master track Mechanical Engineering Smart Factories in cooperation with the RUG. ,,This master track will start this fall in our own Smart Industry Fieldlab in Drachten. And we are quite proud of that. The master's program in Mechanical Engineering falls under the Faculty of Science and Engineering and offers the fields of study Advanced Instrumentation and Smart Factories. That is now being expanded to include Process Design for Energy Systems and Materials for Mechanical Engineering. Smart Factories students spend their second year of study in the Smart Industry Fieldlab with lectures and research. This is how we train engineering talents to design intelligent, coherent and customized production processes for the factory of the future. And because the students get to know our companies, they have a much better idea of interesting jobs in the North.’’
Conference Netherlands Digital 2020
The second edition of the annual Netherlands Digital Conference has been canceled and was scheduled to take place from 16 to 19 March 2020 in Groningen. The government, entrepreneurs, researchers, civil society organizations and other governments will work together at the conference on the objective of making the Netherlands a digital frontrunner in Europe. Also part of the conference is the two-day scientific conference ICT.OPEN. During the conference, the results of a year of digitization would be shown on the basis of the Dutch Digitization Strategy 2.0.