An interview with Fleur Hasaart from CZ and Michael Best from LINKIT
While official education is practically nonexistent, the demand for Data Engineers is growing exponentially. The profession of Data Engineer is sometimes referred to as the ‘occupation of the future’, but who is training these very much wanted and necessary professionals? A couple of years ago LINKIT decided to jump into this gap in the market and train new data engineers ourselves. The result was ‘the traineeship’: a yearlong program that starts with an extensive six week training period, continuing in a year-long secondment at one of our clients.
Offer and demand
Both Michael Best and Fleur Hasaart got involved in the program, albeit from different sides. Michael joined the traineeship as a student, hoping to broaden his knowledge and to find out if being a data engineer could be his future. Fleur Hasaart, Manager of CZ’s Data Science team joined for a very different reason. At CZ they were eagerly scouting for a new data engineer and the traineeship offer came exactly at the right moment.
The latest technological standards
“Finding a data engineer was and still remains tough in the job market,” Fleur explains. “So, when I got a cold calling offer from LINKIT about the traineeship I was definitely interested to hear more. I had a good chat with them and eventually decided to join. Furthermore, I like the idea behind it. Training people for a specific goal and skillset is a smart idea in my opinion. For us at CZ it was also great to get someone trained up to the latest technological standards in our team.”
Starting in the middle of a pandemic
In April 2020 Fleur got Michael in her team. Being in the midst of the corona crisis this was definitely not the best time to start at a new employer, but both Michael and Fleur made the best out of it.
Michael: “At CZ I’m working with a really nice group of people. There is a lot of collaboration and everyone was and is very welcoming towards me. I try to help the company in every way, and so far, working at CZ has been a really good experience.”
Benefits of the traineeship
“To be honest, I had an open mind as to what I would be working on. So, coming to CZ as a first assignment was a big surprise to me. What your role will be ultimately depends on where you go. But so far, I have learned a ton. So much more than expected! The traineeship gave me a good introduction to some of the things I have been doing and it provided me with the tools to learn what to do at my job. And no, the traineeship didn’t teach me everything I needed. But it taught me to find the knowledge I need, so I can learn it on the spot.”
Eager to learn
Fleur agrees: “Michael came in at a difficult time, where we could not even meet in person. Not an ideal start. But luckily for us he’s very quick to learn. I even had to hold him back,” she says with a smile. “Michael is very eager to learn, even outside of his own job profile. He has a good attitude to do what needs to be done. Super nice!”
Good working with LINKIT
Also, the cooperation with LINKIT during Michaels time at CZ worked out well. Fleur: “It has been really good working with LINKIT. Periodically they check up if everything is going well. If there is something to talk about, they always have time. LINKIT is open to make the most out of our collaboration.”
Support from LINKIT
Michael: “I have monthly update meetings with my principle, Alyona. We talk about what I’m doing, and I tell her about the new things I’m learning, the challenges I have and what next steps I should take. Also, for me working at CZ was my first real job. And as an American who lived in Portugal, I’m new to the Dutch culture. If I had to deal with situations in my workplace there was always someone at LINKIT who could help me out.”
The big question
Every traineeship ends with ’the big question’: what happens next? Every trainee has the right to decide after one year if he or she wants to stay at the company he has been seconded to, or to continue at LINKIT. For Michael and Fleur that’s clear. Michael: “We are still talking to formalize things, but I definitely want to stay at CZ!”
This year in fall we will organize another traineeship at LINKIT! Are you interested to participate in the program, as a company or as a trainee? Feel free to meet with us by calling our mailing one of our experts listed below.
