Inspiration
Stedin faces an imminent shortage of technicians due to the energy transition and aging of technicians. It takes some creativity to fix this. Due to the impending shortage in combination with the inclusivity policy, they saw opportunities for permit holders to enter a training program.
By offering Dutch taalWe have no experience with lessons. We came into contact with UAF through TopTaal. And we don't regret it for a moment!
Says Juul den Edel, project leader inclusivity at Stedin. Stedin is a grid operator in the Randstad. They attach great importance to sustainable business operations, also in the social field. Project leader Juul explains: "We have an active inclusivity policy, where we help people with a distance to the labor market, including the permit holder, to work sustainably at Stedin where possible."
We've been training people to become mechanics ourselves for years through our company school. Before you can start working at Stedin, the prospective mechanic must meet a number of requirements regarding educational level and safety certifications. For those with refugee status, the component also applies. taal there."
To reach and train the target group of status holders, Stedin has entered into a partnership with the UAF and Techniek College Rotterdam (TCR). “We came into contact with highly motivated status holders, but saw that taalskills were often insufficient to start the vocational training course. Together with TopTaal we have designed a preliminary trajectory, a combination of taallessons, preparation for the VCA exams and the meter change training, Dutch work culture and employee skills. After the preparatory program, a two- to three-year vocational training program to become a mechanic follows at Stedin's company school. Content advisor and lecturer Jeannette Serra: "The method that TopTaal The program prepares students well for the Dutch language course at vocational colleges (MBO). The students practice reading comprehension and listening comprehension, expanding their vocabulary, and speaking in work situations. Reading comprehension, in particular, is difficult for most of them, but with a lot of dedication, I see them progress step by step. Moreover, they are highly motivated because they all want to work as mechanics at Stedin.
One of the participants is Fitsum, 28 years old from Eritrea. He came to the Netherlands in 2015 and started the training program at Stedin in 2018. In his homeland he followed a short course in electricity, but that was nothing compared to the course at Stedin. Fitsum still has to do a few tests, but already works independently. “I have an Stedin bus with tools and am now visiting customers myself. I am very happy."
To practice Dutch even more outside the classroom, Stedin has colleagues such as taalbuddies deployed. A taalbuddy (colleague) offers taalsupport for the status holder. For Fitsum there is a taalbuddy an added value: “It is good to have someone with whom you can speak Dutch, who corrects and improves you”. The enthusiasm for taalbuddies is great. Everyone sees the importance of speaking Dutch well. taal on the work floor and during training.
The preparatory program had just been successfully completed when the coronavirus crisis hit. Stedin followed the government's advice to contain the spread. This meant little to no activity at Stedin, including the temporary suspension of the training programs. Stedin quickly realized that something had to be done with the training program, because the Dutch taal must be practiced continuously. The status holders were all at home and had little Dutch taalContacts. Juul: "If Stedin invests in people, we want to get the most out of it, and that means we can't stand still."
Juul immediately contacted Simone van de Pol, training advisor at TopTaal and together they came up with the solution to offer online lessons during the Corona crisis.
Fitsum, like all other students and mechanics, is at home. As long as he is at home, he will receive extra Dutch taallessons to his taalTo maintain his skills and continue to develop. He experiences the online lessons very positively. In fact, he prefers them: "At school, you see each other and talk a lot. You don't always pay attention and you're less focused. Now I'm learning so much. I'm much more focused."
In the online classes, variation is offered in skills, assignments and working methods. We work together in groups via break-out rooms. The students discuss reading texts and do speaking assignments in these separate groups. “I think it is a great advantage to work in break-out rooms. I also give one-on-one feedback here, ”says Jeannette. "I see that they are very enthusiastic about the lessons."
During the corona crisis it was decided to call on the taalbuddies. This time too, there is a great deal of interest in helping our colleagues who speak another language with their taalSkills. Previously, the buddies would meet at the workplace, go on excursions, or have lunch together. Now, the buddies meet online. Fitsum also has a taalbuddy. They have contact twice a week for half an hour. They discuss the assignments Fitsum has to do and talk about the current situation and anything else that comes up. “I discuss the assignments with my taalbuddy if I don't understand something. I used to do that with the other students. I can't do that anymore."
Stedin is very satisfied with the collaboration with TopTaal"TopTaal He's a proactive thinker, flexible, comes up with creative suggestions, and knows how to tackle things. We greatly appreciate that. Fitsum is eager to grow, and once he's gained extensive work experience:
Then I want to teach new students how to do it, then they can walk with me.
Photo by Suzanne Blanchard