Wittenborg Represented by CEO Maggie Feng, MBA Graduate Zahra Abedini and MBM Student Kalu Agwu

To discuss the shortages in the labour market as well as the challenges and opportunities pertaining to the region of Apeldoorn and its neighbouring cities, Wittenborg participated in a meeting organised by Regio Stedendriehoek on 20 November.

Conducted at WILA’s headquarters in Lochem, the meeting was attended by Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng, who is a member of the board at Regio Stedendriehoek, as well as other representatives of the government, business and education sectors. Among the participants was the mayor of Apeldoorn, Ton Heerts, together with the mayors of Lochem, Sebastiaan van 't Erve, and Deventer, Ron König.

The discussion addressed the main characteristics of the region’s labour market, such as the ageing of the current workforce, the demand for ICT and tech professionals and the many jobs available in the areas of healthcare, retail, industry and public administration.

Moreover, the meeting also focused on Regio Stedendriehoek’s goals for its labour market, including measures that contribute to an agile and resilient workforce, as well as opportunities for economic development and societal prosperity. To achieve that, the region aims to employ diverse strategies to stimulate entrepreneurship, sustainability and the collaboration between education and industry in campuses, tech hubs, learning communities and ecosystems.

The session was opened by WILA’s Director of Manufacturing Frank Rouweler, and featured speakers MyAutomation MA-IT’s Managing Director Aram Malas and Wittenborg CEO Maggie Feng.

During her talk, Feng was accompanied by Wittenborg MBA graduate Zahra Abedini and MBM student Kalu Agwu. She highlighted the importance of retaining international students and graduates in the region, particularly in the ICT and tech sectors, and proposed the creation of an Expat Centre to facilitate this process.

“This organisation will play a major role in assisting employers to find and hire international talent, and among other things it will aid them in dealing with IND’s complex forms and procedures. On top of that, the Expat Centre will be an information hub for knowledge migrants, labour migrants and all non-Dutch newcomers, assisting them when it comes to finding service providers and integrating into the local community.”

Feng also argued for the development of extra internships, apprenticeships and educational opportunities within companies, tech hubs and field labs, to address the shortages in the labour market and provide students with opportunities for career development.

Nigerian student Kalu Agwu, pursuing an MBM degree in Logistics & Trade at Wittenborg, said that the meeting was very insightful, and encouraged students and graduates to participate in activities like these. “By attending these discussions, students and graduates have the chance to understand what Dutch companies need and require and also to promote their skills and potential, showing what they can deliver. The meeting also revealed to me the importance of learning the Dutch language in order to better integrate and have more opportunities in the Netherlands.”

According to Iranian alumna Zahra Abedini, who holds an MBA diploma in Smart Industry, events of this type are a great opportunity for students to extend their networks and become familiar with the changes and needs of the labour market.

“I attended this meeting in order to extend my network and make connections with important people such as the regional mayors and industry representatives. Besides, it gave me the chance to get to know Maggie better and start collaborating with Wittenborg. Finally, discussions about the labour market and its changes are crucial for students and graduates because they can give us directions on what skills we need to develop in order to be prepared for future job opportunities,” she commented.

Following the speakers’ talks, participants discussed in groups the session’s topic and summarised their conclusions, ending with a networking activity.

WUP 3/12/2023
by Ulisses Sawczuk
©WUAS Press