At LINKIT we put it into practice!
Due to continuous new developments and insights, it is essential for IT professionals to continue to develop. And at the same time, IT partners such as LINKIT must facilitate this. LINKIT has been offering traineeships on a regular basis for several years now. These consist of a crash course of several weeks, followed by approximately ten months with a customer, under the guidance of an experienced senior or by tackling challenges in LINKIT’s own project teams. Traineeships so far have brought new talents to our Data & AI, Cloud and OutSystems squads. Recruiter Maryse van Dijk, former trainee Inan Ates, and Data Science manager Fleur Hasaart of CZ explains why these initiatives are important.
1: the Trainee
Inan Ates: thrown in at the deep end at ASML
“Tough but nice” is how Inan describes his first year as a data engineer. “The traineeship gave me a good introduction to the most important aspects of data engineering but only partly prepared me for the challenges I faced at ASML. All the technology I had to work with at ASML was new to me. For example, we learned about Kafka during the traineeship, but when I immediately ran into a Kafka problem at ASML, it was quite a challenge to solve it. Putting theory into practice one-on-one is not one of them.”
Senior as a learning accelerator
Fortunately, in order not to make the challenge too difficult, Inan and his two fellow trainee shippers did not go to ASML alone. Instead, they were joined by a senior colleague whose tasks included ensuring they continued what they had started during the traineeship: mastering data engineering at lightning speed.
2: The manager
Fleur Hasaart and Michael Best: Smart to train people in such a targeted way
“Finding a data engineer is difficult in today’s job market,” explains Fleur Hasaart. She is the manager of CZ’s data science team. “So when I got a spontaneous phone call from LINKIT to participate in the traineeship, I was interested. I support the idea behind the traineeship. Specifically, training people for a specific purpose with targeted knowledge is a smart plan, in my opinion. Finally, it was an asset for CZ to have someone on the team who is trained to the latest technological standards.”
A diligent student
Michael Best took part in the traineeship and later joined CZ’s data science team. Fleur explains: “Michael has an extensive interest, even beyond his own job profile. He has a good attitude and does what he has to do. I am delighted with him!
Good cooperation with LINKIT
The collaboration with LINKIT during Michael’s time at CZ also went well. Fleur: “It is very nice to work with LINKIT. They regularly check whether everything is going well, and if there is something I want to discuss with them, there is always time for it. LINKIT is clearly investing in our collaboration.”
3: The recruiter
Maryse van Dijk: A challenging selection procedure
“We receive hundreds of applications for every traineeship,” says Maryse van Dijk. As a recruiter at LINKIT, she is responsible for hiring the best candidates. According to Maryse, the many applications are the mismatch between education and the needs of the labour market. “We are closing the gap with the traineeship. And that is catching on.”
Team players wanted
The result is a strict selection procedure. Maryse: “We think it is important that people have the right qualities. Be team players and dare to ask questions. In addition, it is nice if they like new challenges and consciously pick them.”
Impossible task
What follows with the remaining candidates is an assessment. Maryse: “We demand knowledge and expertise about data engineering that they cannot have at all yet. What matters most is how they deal with it. You see that some people try to work it out all by themselves, while others critically ask about its purpose. You guessed it. We are mainly looking for the second category.”
The last round
Finally, there is one more conversation. This is done by the leader of the relevant team and someone from the business. Of the entire group, about eight men and women eventually remain. If possible, we strive to put together as diverse a group as possible. For example, in the male-female and diversity in Dutch vs English speaking. Once that is all arranged, my work is done, and the traineeship can begin.”
