Young people speak out: you can do anything with work in infra

Who better than young people themselves to tell us what makes working in the infrastructure sector so great? That's why two young people have the floor: Hosam el Halougy, a college student in Civil Engineering, and Marijn Vuik, a college student in civil engineering.

Hosam el Halougy: Challenge of keeping everything on track

Since September of last year, el Halougy has been studying Civil Engineering through Civilion. Civilion is a training center for civil construction, founded in 1987 by and for contracting companies. It offers hands-on MBO and HBO courses in which students combine working and learning. The latter is exactly what el Halougy was looking for. "I did several courses, including International Business. But none of the courses turned out to be a good match in the end. I was looking for a college education in which I could combine learning and working. Because of my work experience in event production, I know I like to make things. Only I wanted it to be bigger, more challenging and more professionally oriented than the production of temporary objects. That's how I ended up at Civilion's Civil Engineering program." 

Showing what you can do

One day a week el Halougy takes classes, the rest of the days he works as an assistant superintendent at Boskalis Netherlands. Under the watchful eye of his supervisor, the chief foreman, on the shop floor, he just works along with the daily work. "If you show what you can do, you are allowed to perform more and more tasks independently. For example, on one of the projects we are working on, I am now allowed to conduct a toolbox meeting with the contractor myself. The work in the infrastructure sector really appeals to me. You have to deal with large machines and different execution methods in places that can sometimes be challenging because of the risks. The nice thing is to manage everything. I also enjoy coming up with solutions to problems. I find this a very interesting aspect in the realization of the works." 

Super guidance from Civilion

About the guidance both at his job and by Civilion, el Halougy is very pleased. "What's nice about Civilion is that it's really customized. We regularly get guest lectures from people in the field, even from directors of large construction companies. In addition, I receive one-on-one guidance from Civilion's talent and study coaches. Very nice." After two years, el Halougy will have his college Civil Engineering Associate-degree. After that, he probably wants to continue with the Bachelor of Civil Engineering. "In the coming years, I want to advance to superintendent at Boskalis Netherlands. Here I have all the chances and opportunities to grow, also internationally if I want to."

About Civilion

Civilion is a training institute in the civil construction industry, founded in 1987 by and for contracting companies. It offers mbo and college courses in which students gain practical experience on civil construction projects from day one. The courses are free of charge for the participants, who receive a salary at the same time. Civilion works with various companies to develop and connect talent to the industry.

Marijn Vuik: Nice to help build Dutch infrastructure

Marijn Vuik is taking the intermediate vocational course All-round Craftsman groundwork, road and hydraulic engineering at SPG Infra Vakopleidingen. He has almost finished this 2.5-year course. "Through a kind of taster internship at high school, I ended up at Delft Infra. They are one of the recognized training companies in SPG's network. I got very excited about my snuff internship and that's how I got in touch with SPG." On the advice of the training program, Vuik chose the broadly oriented course in earthwork, road and hydraulic engineering.

Never boring

Through this training, young people work for contractors and are involved in the construction and maintenance of roads, paving, banks and sewers, among other things. So too does Vuik. "My work week is very diverse. For example, we are working on sewers in a residential area, renovating the outdoor area of a large swimming pool and this week, for example, I raised a sidewalk. The nice thing about this work is that you are working outside and building something beautiful together. And of course that in this way I help to make the infrastructure a little better. For me, this combination of learning and working is ideal. I'd rather be at work than at school." 

Getting more degrees

Vuik already knows what he wants when he completes this training; he will first get his machinist's diploma. "From the training they also encourage me to get the necessary papers for construction work such as earthmoving operator," he said. Both from school and at his job, Vuik receives good guidance and support. "At my work, I can always turn to the learning master and my supervisor at school keeps a close eye on what I'm learning and whether it fits well with what I want to do."     

Learning and working in infra at SPG-NH

SPG North Holland is a group of road construction companies working together to train new professionals. They are looking for young people who are eager to get their diploma while working. At SPG-NH, young people learn primarily by doing - practice is paramount, and theory supports that. Apprentices follow a BBL training program. This means: four days of work and one day of school. SPG-NH offers various courses within the infrastructure sector, such as GWW professional, machine mechanic, road builder, hydraulic engineer, machine operator, asphalt paver and construction and infrastructure manager.