Internships, traineeships and work at Mobilis

Active recruitment of youth and entry-level workers

"Viewed properly, I actually form the bridge between the office and (potential) employee," says Robert Okhuijsen. He is Construction Site Employee Coordinator at Mobilis and, as he himself says, can be found "in the field" more often than in the office. "And that is as it should be; I am the first-line contact for our trainees, trainees, entry-level workers and employees," Okhuijsen outlines. A rewarding task at a time when staff shortages are rampant. Okhuijsen enjoys doing his job and knows he has the support of both Mobilis and parent organization TBI. "Because of corona, we were out of it 'live' a bit, but we are starting to get back to full strength nicely," Okhuijsen says.

Collaboration with Civilion

Mobilis works closely with Civilion, the training institute for construction training. "With that, we recruit carpenters and concrete repairers, among others," Okhuijsen explains. "Civilion cooperates with the HAN (Arnhem Nijmegen University of Applied Sciences) with an associate degree HBO civil. From this program come interns and school leavers. We are also picking up the scholarships again and we are going to actively do 'campus recruitment' again, for higher educated people. We are offering young people traineeships at Mobilis. With the new initiatives, we are also targeting lateral entrants and retrainers."

Trainees and school leavers each follow a different track within Mobilis. "We try to offer trainees a suitable internship, a school leaver or graduate we offer a traineeship, with the prospect of permanent employment. Together we look at what suits the person within Mobilis." Doesn't that put pressure on an already heavily loaded organization? Okhuijsen answers, "No, we are set up for that. Every place where learning takes place, whether it is an internship or a traineeship, requires mutual commitment, i.e. from interns/trainees and from our people. We have coaches per department who are there specifically for that task. The great thing is that when someone is talented and in the right place, with the right guidance from a coach he or she can immediately be put to good use. Instead of being a burden on the organization, these people actually relieve the workload. And I can tell you that these people are welcomed with open arms, given the scarcity in personnel."

Continuing as a working student after the internship

Some interns move on to the work-study position after their internship. "That's ideal, for both Mobilis and the student. We can use extra manpower, performed by a person well versed in the subject matter. The student earns a nice penny on the side (better than standing behind the bar or filling shelves somewhere) and continues to learn while working." For Okhuijsen, there is no question that investing in advance in internships, traineeships and mentoring lateral entrants pays for itself at the back of the chain. In conclusion, he says, "The statement 'youth has the future' sometimes sounds like a dead giveaway, but in our line of business it is a truism."