What does it feel like to have your traineeship recognized as having the best Balanced Projects within their program?

It feels pretty good to be honest. As a business we constantly measure ourselves against our own performance, striving for high quality. At the same time, receiving external recognition from the leading traineeship experts in a meaningful way is satisfying and takes this achievement to a whole new level.

Winning this specific prize is particularly meaningful for us as it resonates with our hands-on culture, the way we do things around here, and our commitment to empowering our people with genuine responsibility.

Trainees within Mainfreight gain hands-on experience while building their own career path. Can you tell us a little more about this, and the benefits you see for trainees?

Leaving school or uni, you may not always know exactly what you want to do; many of us have been there too. At Mainfreight, we believe Education is optional, learning is compulsory – what we mean by this is at Mainfreight you commit to learning regardless of your background. For all team members, including trainees, we expect people to learn from the ground up and learn by doing. Regardless of whether you’ve studied a ‘fancy’ degree or not, in our business you roll up your sleeves and get stuck in.

Along the way, our people discover their strengths, gain hands-on experience, and how they can add the most value to the business. They’re not going to be the best picker, loader, export operator, or driver for that matter, at least not straight away! But when you commit to starting at grassroots level and learning, the sky’s the limit at Mainfreight as we only promote from within.

Promote from within means that we only hire entry level from outside Mainfreight, once you’re in, we develop you, and leadership/sales/… opportunities are only available to people within our business – we do not hire from the outside for them! This forces us to be creative as a business, and for our trainees to be creative too when career planning.

Promote from within is entrenched in our culture, and we find it develops our people, makes sure we have depth of knowledge, it also demonstrates our trust and investment in our people.

Mainfreight trainees also experience a diversity in their roles – often starting at entry level positions and working throughout the company.  Tell us how this strengthens your traineeship program, and what benefits does this have?

Since our traineeship started in 1992, not a single trainee has followed the exact same path as another. They could have worked in any of our 10 European countries (Netherlands, Belgium, United Kingdom, Germany, Poland, Romania, Italy, France, Spain, Ukraine), within any of our three products (Warehousing, Air & Ocean, Transport), and within any role across these products. To put it lightly – there’s opportunity aplenty.

We see some trainees want to gain international experience, others want to develop themselves deeper in one market; no two people are the same, no worries! This brings diverse perspectives to the table, ultimately helping us overcome challenges faster and continuously improve for our customers.

When trainees start at grassroots level and work their way through different roles, they learn the way we do things around here, preparing them for leadership, developing their empathy as they’ve ‘been there’ hands on, and when sitting across the table from a customer, the customer can trust that the Mainfreighter has experience and knows what they’re talking about.

Having experienced multiple roles, our trainees work well with team members from diverse backgrounds, ensuring well-rounded adaptable teams, beneficial when opening new branches.

Our traineeship program is more than just a series of roles; it’s a culture of growth, development, and impact. We don’t produce robots; we cultivate skilled team members who grow our business for the next 100 years.

Can you tell us about your three pillars: Culture, Family, and Philosophy, and how this is an integral part of Balanced Projects for Trainees?

Our Three Pillars—Culture, Family, and Philosophy—form the foundation of our business. Our pillars guide our values and decision-making, influencing everything from how we treat our people and customers, to our relentless strive for growth.

Our culture is built on trust and teamwork, we see our team as a family, we have each other’s backs. We work together in tight-knit teams and push for higher standards in performance, safety, and profitability. This high-performance culture helps us care for our customers, attract new customers, improve our delivery, attract ambitious people, challenge, and satisfy our team members, and ultimately lead to profitability and growth.

When it comes to our trainees, they understand the assignment: continuous improvement and striving for excellence. Whether in their day job or within projects, the expectations are high.

How are you taking away the feedback and benchmark report and using the insights to build the traineeship program? What are the benefits of receiving the benchmark report?

I was skeptical as I’ve seen underwhelming, vague, un-actionable feedback in the past that wasn’t worth the paper it was written on from other parties. This on the other hand was a pleasant surprise! Seriously, the benchmark report was great and highlighted blind spots. Thank you again for it!

One key insight was trainees’ desire for more targeted feedback. People who opt for a traineeship are typically ambitious, want to develop, and grow. The benchmark report highlighted that they would like us to pay more attention to them as individuals rather than as a team. The responsibility for their day-to-day leadership rests with their direct leaders in their branch, what we’ve done is implement more structured check-in meetings with their leaders to give more personalized support and ultimately help with their development.

Our onboarding process has become more in-depth to ensure expectations are clear from the beginning, which helps trainees understand what is expected of them and how they can succeed within Mainfreight (and the program).

Additionally, we are re-evaluating our approach to trainee events. We have always given the reigns to trainees to manage their own participation, we won’t throw the baby out with the bathwater – instead we’ll do a combination of signing them up and encouraging them to continue to do so themselves. It’s a simple thing but makes an impact.

It also highlighted things that we do well with the trainees including our training and development, their ability to build their network, a strong understanding of our business and the supply chain, close relationships with customers, and their freedom to take decisions.

While we had some things well-organized, we’re thankful for the direct feedback on what improvements would make our traineeship program even better.

What advice can you give future entries to the competition about Balanced Projects in traineeship programs?

For future entries to the competition about Balanced Projects in traineeship programs, my advice is to embrace and celebrate your uniqueness. We felt a bit like the black sheep, our strong company culture and the trust we place in our trainees to work with customers set us apart from the other businesses. It’s a missed opportunity. Trust your trainees more with decision-making and customer interactions. If you don’t let them hear what the customer has to say, they cannot deliver what they truly need; frankly – the customer is the boss!

This approach must be authentic, not something theoretical in a strategy document. If you don’t believe in its value, it won’t work. Allow people to make mistakes, and space to fix them. You’ll be thankful for the confidence, experience, and satisfaction it builds in your people, it will satisfy your customers and ultimately your bottom line.

Best Traineeship wants to thank Courtney Bould and Massai Amanupunnjo for offering us a glimpse into Mainfreight’s winning traineeship program. Their emphasis on Mainfreight’s Three Pillars—Culture, Family, and Philosophy—illustrates how these principles drive their approach to nurturing talent, performance, and fostering a supportive learning environment. Their insights underscore the importance of trust, autonomy, and continuous improvement in shaping a successful traineeship program that prioritizes both individual growth and business outcomes. Follow Mainfreight on LinkedIn here.

Register for the 2024 Best Traineeship competition here.

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To understand the strategies behind this remarkable achievement, we sat down with Aukje Menger, one of the two Young Talent Managers at Alliander. During our interview, she shared invaluable insights into their award-winning approach, emphasizing the importance of a holistic learning experience and the continuous development of young professionals within their traineeship program.

What does it feel like to have your traineeship recognised as having the best Learning and Development program in 2023?

Being recognized for having the best Learning and Development program in 2023 is a significant achievement for us at Alliander. We place a strong emphasis on fostering both personal and professional growth among our trainees as a fundamental aspect of our program. Starting with a growth mindset lays a solid foundation for their future careers and contributes to a culture of continuous learning.

We’ve observed that providing opportunities for growth and learning enhances the happiness and commitment of our trainees. This recognition validates our commitment to maintaining a supportive learning environment.

Entering the competition for the first time without a specific goal allowed us to approach it with an open mind, eager to learn from others and gain insights into best practices. It has been a valuable experience that underscores our dedication to excellence in traineeship development.

Overall, we’re proud of this accomplishment. It reflects the dedication and enthusiasm of our team and trainees. We look forward to continuing to improve and provide exceptional learning experiences at Alliander.

One of the parts that impressed our judges was the great variety of roles the trainees take on and the opportunity to work in different areas.. Can you tell us a little more about that?

In our traineeship, we prioritize a diverse and strategic approach to our trainees’ development rather than following a predefined track from technical roles to project management. Our trainees begin with an assignment that connects them to key strategic topics across any of our 18 business units. This initial experience provides them with a comprehensive understanding of the organizational landscape, its strengths, and challenges.

Following this first assignment, our trainees have the autonomy to choose their assignments. We encourage them to explore different business units and roles, challenging them to broaden their perspectives and skills. This approach not only exposes them to various facets of Alliander but also helps them discover and develop different aspects of themselves.

While we emphasize a solid understanding of our core business as a grid operator and a leader in the energy transition, our trainees’ journey is about exploration and personal growth rather than a linear progression through technical and project management roles. They receive thorough training in electricity and gas distribution as part of their overall development program, ensuring they have a strong foundation in our core operations.

This approach has proven beneficial in building a network of well-rounded trainees throughout our organization. They engage deeply with the technical aspects of our operations while also gaining valuable insights into strategy, leadership, and innovation. Ultimately, our trainees are empowered to choose roles that align with their skills and interests, contributing to a dynamic and diverse workforce at Alliander.

Alliander places an emphasis on networking and collaboration for trainees – how does this benefit all areas of the traineeship program and other team members?

Networking and collaboration are core to our traineeships, benefiting both trainees and the organization significantly. Placed across diverse departments, trainees support each other, share knowledge, and build extensive networks. This approach enhances their professional development, equipping them with broad skills and perspectives that help team dynamics. By engaging in various business units, trainees gain specialized insights and connections that prepare them for impactful roles within Alliander and beyond. This collaborative environment fosters continuous learning and innovation, and is valued by both trainees and managers alike for its lasting benefits.

What have you learned from your participation in the Best Traineeship Competition that has helped you shape your traineeship for the future?

Participating in the Best Traineeship competition taught us valuable lessons. We gained a clearer view of what our trainees appreciate most: a program that’s tailored to their needs, emphasizes personal growth, and provides ample networking opportunities. These insights not only validated our approach but also helped us better articulate the program’s strengths to colleagues and potential future trainees.

Engaging with other traineeships and studying the benchmark report provided further insights. For instance, while we already had strong mentorship in place, hearing that it’s highly valued by our trainees prompted us to explore ways to enhance it even more effectively.

A standout moment was when our trainees developed their pitches, passionately highlighting the three most important aspects of our traineeship. Hearing their enthusiasm reinforced our commitment to continuously improve and innovate, ensuring our trainees have a rewarding experience that prepares them for their careers ahead.

How are you taking away this year’s feedback and benchmark report and using the insights to build the traineeship program? What are the benefits of receiving the benchmark report?

The benchmark report gives us detailed insights into how our traineeship program is perceived by the trainees and how it stacks up against our competitors. This information is incredibly valuable for several reasons.

Firstly, the report pinpoints which aspects of the traineeship are most appreciated by our trainees. For example, it highlights that mentorship is a key factor for them. Knowing this, we can focus on enhancing this part of our program.

Even if mentorship is already established, the report suggests ways to make it even more effective, like implementing stronger follow-up mechanisms to better understand how our trainees are experiencing their mentorship.

Additionally, the report helps us sift through all the information to identify a few key areas worth investing in. Another big benefit of the benchmark report is that it allows us see emerging trends. By receiving these reports, we can measure our progress and make strategic long-term improvements.

Lastly, the report includes research on leadership skills, offering us fresh ideas for development. We can discuss these findings with our trainee development team to see how we might integrate them into our program. The benchmark report helps us understand our trainees’ needs and preferences more clearly, so we can improve specific elements of our program, make informed investment decisions, and incorporate new research insights into our development efforts.

What advice can you give future entries to the competition about what is crucial to incorporate into Learning and Development in their traineeship?

We’d love to offer some advice to future entries in the competition. Think of this competition as a fantastic learning opportunity. It gives you a clear view of your program’s strengths and is a great chance to learn not only about how other companies develop their young talent but also to delve deeply into your own program with your trainees.

When it comes to what to include in the learning and development portfolio of a traineeship, we strongly believe in viewing the entire program as a learning experience. This means everything—from selecting assignments to reflecting on your personal and professional growth—is a potential learning moment. Emphasizing personal and professional reflection helps trainees start their professional lives with a solid foundation and ensures our organization develops thoughtful and reflective leaders and experts.

Another crucial piece of advice is to prepare and learn together with your trainees. Listen to their voices, see things from their perspective, and use their feedback to refine your program. Different organizations will find various aspects of traineeships important, so it’s vital to learn to reflect on the feedback you receive and incorporate it flexibly into your traineeship program.

Encourage personal leadership development beyond just the formal training program. This includes thinking about future assignments, using feedback from reviews, and diving deep into self-reflection. Remember, learning isn’t confined to the training room—it’s embedded in everyday work experiences.

By adopting this holistic approach to learning and development, you can create a traineeship program that not only meets the needs of your trainees but also fosters their growth into capable, reflective professionals.

This year Alliander was recognized for their outstanding learning and development practices. It’s important to see the entire traineeship program as a journey of learning, stressing the importance of integrating reflection and personal leadership development into daily work, not just during formal training.

The insights highlight the value of preparing and learning alongside trainees, listening to their feedback, and staying flexible in refining the program. This approach not only enhances organizational insights but also nurtures capable, self-aware professionals, ensuring that programs are effective and resilient. Thanks again, Aukje Menger, for sharing your valuable insights and time with us. You can follow Alliander on LinkedIn here.

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In 2023, this coveted prize was won by Jeske van Boxtel of the Enexis Groep. Jeske’s recognition as the Young Talent Manager of the Year for Best Traineeship is well-earned due to her personalized approach, blending professional excellence with genuine connections. Going beyond typical managerial responsibilities, she actively participates in projects and fosters individual growth while ensuring trainees are matched with suitable opportunities. Jeske’s commitment to ongoing improvement and strategic leadership has elevated the traineeship program, earning her admiration and making her a deserving recipient of the award.

We sat down with Jeske to talk about what the win means for her, and take a look at what motivates her as a Young Talent Manager.

How does it feel to take out the award for Young Talent Manager?

It feels great! It’s an honour to have that title for this year.

Enexis has had a strong presence in the Best Traineeship program over the past few years – What brings you back to the competition every year?  

I was joking with some colleagues earlier about what would happen if we didn’t make it to the finals. We wondered what we might have overlooked and what’s been happening in the world that we’ve missed. With our robust program and solid fundamentals, it would seem like the world would have to be turning upside down for us not to make it! While we don’t expect to win every year, we’re confident in our strong traineeship and our ability to consistently place in the top 10%, aligning with Enexis’s strategy and meeting the trainees’ needs. Missing the finals would definitely be painful.

What do you think makes a good Young Talent manager?

Good question. I believe having a passion for the development of young people is crucial. I’m dedicated to witnessing their growth, firmly believing that every individual we enroll in an Enexis traineeship has the potential to thrive and become their best self.

My approach involves assessing each person’s needs to facilitate their rapid development and providing them with the necessary tools to build talent and confidence. By focusing on the trainees themselves and tailoring the program accordingly, including the type of training required, I leverage my extensive network within Enexis to guide them towards self-discovery and strategically oversee their development. The feedback and reasons for my nomination were deeply touching, as they affirmed that I’m able to instill such sentiments in others.

Our judges have noticed that your trainees are seen within the company as authentic, self aware, and actively making a difference – how do you facilitate this?

Making them self-aware and confident sometimes involves experiencing growing pains, which can be quite challenging. Within the two-year program, I aim to help trainees confront the aspects of their past, values, and upbringing, some of which may be beneficial while others may not. This process, though approached with care, sometimes requires addressing uncomfortable truths to facilitate growth.

While my intention isn’t to make anyone cry, I want them to recognize areas where they need to evolve. By embracing and acknowledging these challenges, individuals can become more confident, self-aware, and capable of growth. This aspect of our program nurtures future employees who understand how to leverage their backgrounds and personalities effectively.

Having a buddy system ensures ongoing support throughout their development, fostering an environment where authenticity is valued, vulnerabilities are embraced, and learning and growth are prioritized over competitiveness.

What drives your passion for ensuring these trainees achieve their end goals within Enexis?

I believe having strong, self-aware young professionals benefits Enexis, as they contribute to achieving organizational goals. Drawing from my own experience as a former trainee, I leverage insights to not only assist Enexis but also to set personal targets and enhance the development of future trainees. Encouraging collaboration among individuals with diverse backgrounds and personalities to form cohesive teams is a key aspect, although it requires persistent effort and understanding to navigate initially. This emphasis on teamwork is integral to the traineeship experience. Additionally, providing challenging assignments with appropriate guidance fosters trainee growth in achieving results and personal development.

It doesn’t always work out from the start, this is hard work!

Do you have any wisdom to share with other Young Talent Managers entering the competition, and what are the benefits of the competition for other young talent managers?

Always be curious about what drives the trainees in what they do and what they think. 

It’s valuable to gain insights from both current trainees and alumni regarding their perceptions of the traineeship and its benchmarks. By not solely focusing inward, but also observing external practices, we can adapt and improve our traineeships. Providing a platform for trainees to express their views is essential. Expressing gratitude to every department for their contribution, even in defeat, reinforces the collective effort involved in the program. Winning the Young Talent Manager award is gratifying, yet it’s crucial to acknowledge that the entire company supports the trainees, highlighting the importance of recognizing colleagues’ dedication to the program.

You are regarded as the cornerstone of the Traineeship Program, playing a vital role in its success. How do you ensure that your expertise and dedication are integrated into the fabric of the program, fostering ongoing improvement and ensuring long-term quality?

It’s my responsibility to establish strong connections with every department, articulating the value the traineeship brings to young professionals, each department, and Enexis as a whole. If I were to depart tomorrow, my impact lies in fostering a strong bond between trainees and the organization’s top 100 leaders. I’ve implemented changes to the program, integrating its two streams to reinforce mutual support. Every day, I passionately advocate for the development of young people, hoping to inspire others with my enthusiasm and perspective. I consistently share my insights on youth development, aiming to influence others to see things from my perspective.

It’s my responsibility to establish strong connections with every department, articulating the value the traineeship brings to young professionals, each department, and Enexis as a whole. If I were to depart tomorrow, my impact lies in fostering a strong bond between trainees and the organization’s top 100 leaders. I’ve implemented changes to the program, integrating its two streams to reinforce mutual support. Every day, I passionately advocate for the development of young people, hoping to inspire others with my enthusiasm and perspective. I consistently share my insights on youth development, aiming to influence others to see things from my perspective.

Congratulations again to Jeske, and the Enexis Groep for their well deserved win. 

To see all this year’s winners, visit our winners page here. Want to showcase your traineeship against the best? Register for next year’s competition here.

The Best Traineeship Peer Circle event will be held again this year. If you’re interested in learning from other Young Talent managers, and sharing your expertise, email info@besttraineeship.com

The post Meet the Winners: Young Talent Manager – Jeske van Boxtel appeared first on Best Traineeship.

What our judges noticed is that their trainee program has been greatly improved, offering early exposure to operational and staff functions. Trainees share their experiences, promoting cultural understanding and alignment with Enexis’ strategy. Networking and mentorship are emphasized, along with diverse coaching options for personal growth. Selection criteria now includes diversity and inclusion awareness, enhancing the program’s reputation for authenticity. Trainees are encouraged to be authentic and make a meaningful impact, earning recognition and appreciation from company employees.

What is clear is that they take on the feedback from previous years, and have used this to shape their traineeships to a high level.

What is clear is that they take on the feedback from previous years, and have used this to shape their traineeships to a high level.  We sat down with the Young Talent Manager from Enexis, Jeske van Boxtel to talk about what sets their traineeship apart, and what the competition means to them.

For the second time, Enexis has taken out the overall Best Traineeship award! How does it feel?

Amazing. We’re so proud. We’ve won this again – we were very surprised as there was really strong competition this year, and so many excellent competitors.

The judges noticed a strong link between the traineeships and the overall strategy of the Enexis group – can you tell us more about how intertwining the two has strengthened your traineeships?  

We make sure the strategies are aligned with the trainee program. When I started working with Enexis in this role, there was a new strategy. You need to make sure that the program is aligned with this. I met with the Board of Directors and managers and I asked – if you have this strategy, what is needed for the trainees? What can they bring that can make this strategy happen? Do we need the leaders of the future? Do we need strategists?

All these things had to come together – can we make this align with the strategy. Many things were already aligned, but some had to be adapted or changed. It starts with realising that the trainee program is there to make a part of the longer-term strategy.

Challenge yourself to think: Does this work with the strategy? And then you make it work.

How easy was it to link your goals to the traineeship? In what way did this strategy boost your traineeships?

It wasn’t particularly challenging, but I believe it’s crucial to clarify things by asking questions. While many trainee programs might naturally align with our strategy, it’s essential to discuss and understand those connections. This communication needs to reach all levels of management so everyone grasps their role in the bigger picture. Without these conversations, things can easily slip into ambiguity.

We believe it’s crucial for the board to stay connected with the trainees to see the alignment in action. This connection not only shows that we take our trainees seriously but also reinforces their sense of importance within the company. When trainees feel valued, they’re more motivated to contribute meaningfully to the organization.

Personal Branding was your best practice win this year – what have you learned from previous Best Traineeship participation that helped take yours to the next level?  

That’s a great question! Looking back, I don’t think I fully grasped last year that winning that award was our ultimate goal. Having been in this role for two years now, I’ve come to realize the immense potential for growth that our trainees possess.

My focus has been on nurturing the self-confidence of our trainees and emphasizing the importance of networking. Networking is absolutely crucial and plays a significant role in our trainee program. This year, during the competition finals, I observed our trainees actively engaging with others, forging connections right off the bat. They exuded confidence, displayed a genuine eagerness to learn from their peers, and demonstrated curiosity.

This is really satisfying for me because it speaks to their personal brand, and our program encourages the notion that while asking for help is always okay, they should also proactively seek connections throughout the company. It instills a sense of confidence in their ability to tackle challenges independently.

How are you taking away this year’s feedback and benchmark report and using the insights to build the traineeship program? What are the benefits of receiving the benchmark report?

What I find really rewarding is that we identified some areas for improvement last year, and this year, those issues were addressed because we took the feedback from the reports seriously and made improvements accordingly. That’s the beauty of participating in the competition over multiple years—you can clearly see how you’re progressing.

While there weren’t major overhauls needed based on the reports, it was still insightful to review the reports from other traineeships. We noticed that some had assignments with significant responsibility, which is something we can definitely integrate into our competition. It’s about learning from what others are doing, incorporating those insights into our traineeship program, and aiming for success.

Another valuable takeaway from last year was seeing the diversity within Prorail’s program, so we made sure to incorporate that into our approach as well. It’s all about learning from different companies, making necessary changes, and finding inspiration along the way.

I also gained a lot from the peer circle discussions. There are countless aspects from the competition that you can take away and apply to enhance your own traineeships. The competition really prompts you to think critically, and the final event sheds light on both the strengths and weaknesses of various programs, helping us identify what we can learn and implement moving forward.

What brings Enexis back to the competition each year?

It’s a good way to have a critical eye on your own program, – not only your trainees, but on yourself, your stakeholders, your board as well as on other companies. 

Enexis keeps coming back to the Best Traineeship competition every year for a few reasons. Winning the top prize twice fills us with pride, especially when we’re up against tough competition. Linking our trainee program with Enexis’ bigger strategy has really helped us succeed, making sure our program aligns with what the company wants to achieve. Plus, the competition gives us great insights and chances to learn.

 We use the feedback, benchmark reports, and ideas from other participants to keep making our traineeship program even better. Overall, being part of the competition helps us keep improving and being innovative.

Congratulations again to our overall winners, Enexis Groep. To see all this year’s winners, visit our winners page here. Want to showcase your traineeship against the best? Register for next year’s competition here.

The Best Traineeship Peer Circle event will be held again this year. If you’re interested in learning from other Young Talent managers, and sharing your expertise, email info@besttraineeship.com

The post Meet the Winners: Overall Best Traineeship – Enexis Groep appeared first on Best Traineeship.

With 24 trainees currently in the program, Enexis traineeships are built on an in-depth organizational strategy, focusing on networking, building bridges, and broadening perspectives and leadership. 

We sat down with Jeske to discuss her role, traineeships, what the Best Traineeship Awards mean for her work, and the Enexis Groep.

Congratulations on taking out the Best Practice award for Learning and Development – a second time! How does it feel to have your company showcased in the competition?

We are proud to have won the award for Learning and Development again, mainly because it was shown to be the most essential aspect of a traineeship by trainees. Enexis believes in and focuses on development, and it’s great that this is so experienced by the trainees and recognized by the jury.

Winning this award felt like the right thing – it shows that we have a brilliant program. We’re confident that when trainees start with us, we allow them to grow to their best and foster personal growth. Our program is strong, and the base remains the same, but we adapt it every year to align with the strategy, and what trainees face now is different from the past – we look at the challenges they face and make it better and aligned with the trainees’ needs every year.

Our judges found that the ways you weave experience and interplay were innovative, creating engaging and safe traineeships. Can you tell us why this is a fantastic part of your traineeship?

Our traineeship stands out because a trainee has a lot of inspiration and resources, a supervisor, a buddy (senior year trainee), the manager of the trainee program, and all the trainers. Together, these people form a safety net so the trainee can optimally focus on development, experimentation, and learning regarding content in the projects and personal development.

We find it essential that trainees develop a broad view of what is happening in the world we work in, an overall view of what is happening within the organization, and a comprehensive idea of what moves people. The program’s content and supervision challenge the trainee to develop a broad perspective.

We make the trainee center of the program and their growth path. We have challenging projects,  but the results are from the trainees’ development. Some change programs during the duration because they can be challenged differently in other departments or be supported by a mentor during the project – and we change these sometimes as well in situations where someone can help them differently. We look at the trainees and what they need to grow in the best way; I think that’s unique. The results come from putting the development of the trainee first.

What are the most crucial benefits of the awards for anyone participating in the survey and competition?

There are many traineeships or programs called traineeships, and young people don’t know what is a good program or what they can expect. Everyone says they have the best traineeship, but awards mean we have the recognition that we have one of the best.

The award allows you to show potential trainees that we have a solid program. It is also a great way to examine your traineeship critically. You will receive feedback in the report and during the competition, which will help you.

Secondly, while we already know we have an excellent traineeship, this is the icing on the cake. 

You get feedback on the program, which we take back to the trainees, look back on each year, and work on the program. Still, anonymous feedback helps us stay critical of our program – when it’s a competition, we all want to win, and in turn, we look at the other competitors and see what sets them apart and use this to grow as well.

What do you perceive as benefits for Enexis to be recognized by the Best Traineeship competition?

Potential trainees indicate that they value the award when applying because it reassures them that we have an excellent traineeship.

With recognition, trainees feel comfortable sharing their feedback. In the war for talent, it helps us attract the best trainees. Also, comparing ourselves to other traineeships- we have an outstanding traineeship, but we can learn from others and be open to different views.

What key learning points have you taken away from the Benchmark Survey and the Jury Feedback? Can you share how you’ll be integrating these into your traineeship?

Trainees are comfortable giving feedback – so from the survey, we saw our trainees wanted three projects during their traineeship, so this became a personal goal for me.

We also saw in the survey that we scored low in international experience. This is quite obvious because we are a very Dutch company, but we were able to give them an international experience. For example, this year’s trainees went abroad for a group assignment.

We saw that ProRail won and admired its diversity and inclusion culture. We strongly focus on diversity and inclusion at Enexis, though we still have some steps to take. It inspired me to be a trailblazer in Enexis and put a strong focus on diversity in the hiring of new trainees. Clearly, other companies were further ahead, so it became my target to implement change.

We have a good program; we don’t have to change the world to have an excellent traineeship.

What words do you have for future applications to the annual competition?

Show your vulnerability by participating. You can only grow and improve from it.

Be competitive, but take all the feedback on board. Take the opportunity to talk to other trainee managers. It is an excellent way to show applicants you have a good program,  that you can be critical of it and compare it to other programs, and that you are willing to change.

Honestly, why shouldn’t we compete?

It’s hard when you don’t have a good traineeship program or when you are afraid to damage reputation by losing. But in  the comparison to other companies according to best traineeship standards, so you can use that feedback to grow. Learn what you are good at but where you have to improve.

We must be a good example to Trainees – put yourself in a vulnerable position and learn.

Congratulations again to Enexis Groep for their win this year in the Learning and Development category and to Jeske for her time. Will we see you in the following awards? Register here.

Follow the Enexis Groep on LinkedIn.

The post Meet the winners: Enexis Groep appeared first on Best Traineeship.

This incredibly motivated and engaging team also took out the award for Return on Investment,  with our judges noting that they have a high level of retention of their trainees. Trainees are actively encouraged to move through the company, showing how much value they place on their investment in their training.

The Best Traineeship team sat down with Tim after the competition to talk about winning, insights, and what motivates them.

Congratulations on winning the Overall Best Traineeship, Tim! How does it feel to take out the Return on Investment and Overall Best Traineeship awards?  

I’m very proud of this achievement! ProRail’s traineeship program is now 20 years old, and this recognition is rewarding for us. It’s acknowledgement for the time and money we have invested in creating our program, and that it now is recognized as being a great traineeship program.  

We’re also extremely proud of the high retention rate that we have with our trainees – this means that we are retaining the talent that we have worked so hard to train to a high standard, and this benefits us greatly.

On a personal note, I have managed the traineeship program now for the past 3 years, so this feels like the crowning jewel on that achievement for me!

In your opinion, what elements of your traineeship are you most proud of and that make ProRail stand out to win both of these awards?

I believe that what makes us stand out is the element of co-creation. Our learning program is developed by the training company we use, the trainee manager, and most importantly, the trainees themselves. We use an established template, but the trainees have input into all the theory, their learning opportunities and have a direct influence on their training program.

While we have 4 different areas of specialization,  all the trainees work together, learn together, respect each other, and spend time together out of work – they’re a close group that strengthens their traineeships.

While our trainees come from different backgrouns, we actively encourage them to be themselves within the company, and we have firm diversity and inclusion policies within the program.

Another exciting element is the growth of trainees. Mentorship programs are vital for our company, and we watch trainees grow, with older trainees mentoring and helping them develop within their roles. Trainees have a dedicated buddy and a mentor, and we think this strengthens our program. Our trainees are a whole team effort.

We’d like to understand more more about your use of the C-Suite in the traineeship program. How do you use it to ensure that the trainees grow and flourish?

C-Suite is our hiring management program. Trainees have a mentor for their 2-year journey, either a board member or buddy and meet every 3-4 weeks. It’s close internal contact, and they get to know each other, their learning style and potential, and their next steps with their training.

The C-suite members also use this moment to develop the program further. They have opportunities to meet the board and explore and discuss different things – and trainees get to know the directors closely, meaning that trainees are utilized across the company at all times.

Why is keeping a “fresh pair of eyes on things” within your traineeships relevant?

Changing your perspective and being open to new ideas is always relevant. We don’t have any competitors, so it’s probably more essential for us to take on new perspectives and have the status quo challenged. It’s not only with our trainees – you can constantly challenge how things are done and learn in new areas.

Our younger trainees want to have an impact. These are our fresh eyes, and they want to do everything meaning that the older established teams have an injection of energy to inspire them.

Innovation and experience from other industries can also positively impact how things are done – that’s why bringing in external expertise is essential.

What key learning points have you taken away from the Benchmark Survey and the Jury Feedback? Can you share how you’ll be integrating these into your traineeship?

We’ve already discussed the benchmark report extensively internally. We’ve already talked with our training company, and we’re looking for ways to improve our learning and development element. We can use this direction for short, and longer-term changes.

We also see that we are limited in international experience options, but we are utilizing this feedback to improve this and increase the opportunity for cross-border experiences.

We didn’t realize that the trainees weren’t aware of how to utilize personal branding. We are now focussing on this, running additional training, and making things more efficient and intelligent. Concerning all the feedback in the report, we’re now making comparisons internally to ensure we’re measuring all the right metrics.

What are the most crucial benefits of the awards for anyone participating in the survey and competition, and what are the benefits to ProRail?

We can say in 2022, we were the best traineeship, so why shouldn’t you apply for a traineeship with us! This recognition is something that we will use when we’re recruiting trainees.

We see the report as the most crucial benefit. We can further develop our traineeship program, not only based on our trainees but the input of other trainees from other programs. That makes it relevant for trainees – they see the recognition of us being the best and that we use that information to grow.

What words do you have for future applications to the annual competition?

For starters, knowing how your trainees experience the program and comparing it with how you think it is going is beneficial. You understand better where the improvement potential is, and that’s great.

It’s also cool to see how your trainees pitch and perform and how you’re training them – but learn how other trainee managers work, establish a network of like-minded people, and learn from each other.

I spoke with the program manager for Enexis – and linked her to my new colleague – and we have exciting elements and want to learn from each other.

Of course, you have to make it to the final to meet them all, so it will be exciting to see who comes through next year, and how we can work together in the future.

The team at Best Traineeship would like to thank Tim Burgraaf and ProRail for their time in answering our questions, and take another moment to congratulate them on their Return On Investment award and taking out the overall Best Traineeship in 2022.  Please find out more about our 2022 winners here.

Follow ProRail on LinkedIn here.

The post Meet the 2022 Overall Winners: ProRail appeared first on Best Traineeship.

The judges, Kieran Canisius, Marco Koot, and Rani Zuidervliet, were joined by the winner of the 2021 Trainee Manager award, Mart Koeslag (formerly of Enexis Groep), and had the difficult task of deciding the winners.

Focus 2022 and 2023

Our own values of innovation and evolution mean that we share our own vision for the future – “Driving traineeship excellence to build better futures.” This drives us to implement learning and improvements in these areas:

1. Strengthening knowledge sharing.
2. Effectively collect and share data.
3. Showcase the Best Traineeships.

Through these critical focus areas, we are showcasing the achievements of our winners, our Best Practice champions, and our own data gathered from our Benchmark Survey. 

State of Traineeship Industry Report

As we gather the data and create our Company Benchmark Reports, this allows us to identify  the (emerging) trends) within traineeships and provides insight into how the industry can take the quality of their traineeships to the next level.

Kieran Canisius led us through the trends over the past eight (8) years and shared with us this year’s top category – Program management. This standard is defined by Best Traineeship as:

“The management of the traineeship program upholds clear traineeship program standards and quality measurements that drive continuous improvement and strategic impact of the traineeship program. “

Over the last eight years, Personal Branding traded off with Program Management as the category seen as most important by Trainees. However, during 2020, the most important standard was Learning and Development– which potentially could be the influence of Covid-19.

She then led us through the top elements of a traineeship, as identified by the trainees themselves, and showed us what trainees felt were the least important items.

This year’s featured research was “Recruitment – The Battle For Talent”, and as part of the survey, trainees also shared their experiences. We learned more about trainees’ personal journeys, why they chose particular traineeships, and how motivated they are by their experiences. We’ll write more about this in the upcoming blogs!

Are you interested in seeing how your company compares with the benchmarks this year’s winners set? Our benchmark report is available so you can see how your traineeship compares.

Keynote Speaker – Geertje Peneder

Geertje Peneder took the floor after this session, and led us in an fascinating session on the Multi-Generational Workforce. She spoke about the benefits each generation brings to the workplace and how we can better integrate and adapt to the changing dynamics within the workforce.

It was evident that Geertje’s presentation captivated the room, and her energy as a speaker was infectious. Everyone engaged with the information presented, and conversation flowed, triggered by her expert questions.  Experiences within the multi-generational workforce were shared, and she left us with incredible insights and action points to take back to our own workplaces.

The Pitches

Each trainee team was invited to present a 5 minute pitch on their traineeships, followed by a jury and audience question time. They shared their experiences, and what made their particular company’s Traineeship a standout. This year’s finalists were Talent in Huis, Enexis, Fugro and ProRail.

What you may have noticed, we presented 4 awards instead of our usual 5. This year, we did not announce a winner of the Performance Improvement standard. During the first two rounds of the competition, we did not identify a company that stood out as the strongest in this category. We hold our Best Standard awards in high esteem, and therefore decided that this year we would not award a winner in this category.  

It was clear that all the teams spoke with passion, and shared their experiences with pride. The four finalists were impressive, and we knew that it would be a difficult decision to decide on who would win.

The Winners

The moment we were waiting for arrived – first the winners of the Best Practice Awards.

Return on Investment: ProRail

Our jury was impressed by your high retention rate in your trainees. Ex-trainees move through the company to the highest levels, including to the Executive level, expressing the high value in which you hold your traineeships and the value they add to ProRail.

Learning and Development: Enexis Groep

It is impressive to see the innovative ways in how you weave experience and interplay together to create a safe place for traineeships. Equally as impressive for our judges was the way learning and development is implemented for the whole company, as few companies structure and embed this learning for supervisors, mentors and other team members to improve their programs continuously.

Balanced Projects: Fugro

Your trainees have the freedom and flexibility within their traineeships to embrace their mistakes as part of the learning process. This sets you apart within the competition and this unique aspect impressed the jury. This method clearly identifies individual needs and selects the best strategy for trainee projects.

Personal Branding: Talent in Huis

During the jury interview, it was clear to the jury that your trainee not only understood Personal Branding but knew how he could utilize it effectively, both personally and professionally. His excellent overview of his qualities, challenges and how he can ove come these impressed the jury. That in combination with the benchmark survey scores, was a clear case.

Then the Young Talent Manager for 2022 was announced and went to Manon van Beek of Fugro. What set Manon apart from the rest was the fact she received 100% of the trainee votes – a truly remarkable achievement.

From her trainees:

 “She has raised the bar on this traineeship and turned it from a guinea pig project into a global program with an extremely high learning curve and significant more exposure.”

And

“Manon van Beek, for her invaluable energy, care and commitment to making this idea for a traineeship into a fully professional and global traineeship!”

And finally, the overall Best Traineeship for 2022 went to ProRail, an announcement met with much enthusiasm. The jury felt that their commitment to creating quality traineeships and high retention rates set them apart from the rest, earning them this year’s highest recognition.

A unique and diverse group of trainees benefit from the ProRail program, with traineeship groups a mixed layer of experience. Trainees are recruited on a continual basis, meaning that a lot of learning and sharing is found between the trainees.  Through their strong traineeship program, they educate 55,000 ProRail employees, and have strong and effective traineeship content.

We want to congratulate this year’s well-deserved winners, and celebrate their passion for creating incredible opportunities for trainees to grow and develop over the coming months with a series of featured articles.

Best Traineeship in 2023

While the competition is over for 2022, there are still some key dates in 2023 to consider.

Our plan is in June, to host a data-sharing event to give insights into the Benchmark Report with interested organizations and create opportunities to network and gain insights into the critical data we collect about traineeships. More about that to come!

Registration for the 2023 competition is open, and until May 31^st, we’re offering an early bird discount on registrations. Don’t forget to enter,  and showcase why your traineeship is the best (or still the best!),

Of course, if you’d like to compare your traineeship against this year’s benchmarks, it’s still possible to do so by requesting our Benchmark Report. If you do not want to participate in the annual competition but do want to learn how you compare and what you could improve, request it on our website!  See where your trainees place your company, or take advantage of our early bird discount and register for the 2023 competition here.

See you in 2023!

The post Best Traineeship 2022 – The Awards appeared first on Best Traineeship.

Just like skilled professionals, trainees need to be able to develop their own personal brands. As a company, investing time in helping them establish these can be worthwhile.

A personal brand is defined as the unique combination of values, skills, and experiences that make trainees who they are. As summarized in the Best Traineeship standard of Personal Branding: It is how they present themselves to the company.

Trends In Personal Branding

Within the Best Traineeship competition, one of our standards is the attention companies pay to the personal brands of trainees. In 2020, the award for personal branding was won by the NN Group, which set a high standard. Our judges were impressed by NN’s individualized approach, identifying each trainee’s skills and building on these rather than creating a single mold that everyone needs to comply with.

Our research through our benchmark survey shows the increasing importance of developing personal brands as part of the traineeship program, rather than letting it evolve naturally. But why do we need to make this a part of the traineeship program? We’ve given our top reasons below.

Return on Investment

As Jeff Bezos said: “Your brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room.” While we immediately associate this with customers and clients rather than employees, the same is true for what our team says about the company. The way they speak about their work, teammates, and role in the company directly reflects your company’s brand.

Investing the time in your trainees to help them develop their own talents is a positive reflection of your own company’s values by displaying and encouraging their evolution in the workplace. This becomes an asset to your company through attention to detail and helping them build their own work profiles. As they grow stronger in their authentic self, your company’s brand grows more robust. It is a win-win situation.

Your Trainees Are Unique

Taking the time to ensure that your trainees recognize and learn about their unique skills and attributes means that you can develop their strengths to benefit them and their role in your company. It becomes a valuable resource, a database of sorts, that houses and protects the individual talents within your company.

But the benefit also lies in building these talents within your trainees. When they feel their skills and attributes are valued and developed, this becomes a positive experience they may go on to share within their networks.

A great example is our 2020 Best Traineeship: Personal Branding winners, the NN Group. Their individualized approach to developing their trainees and nurturing their innate qualities stood out to our judges. By facilitating individual talents, the trainees can build their own unique career brands and encourage loyalty to the company that values who they actually are.

Creating Tomorrow’s Leaders

Focusing on the ability to develop the innate skills and attributes of your trainees and building on their strengths fosters their personal brand now and in the future. It additionally makes it clear to all what the most effective career progression should be.

Clarine Deijnen of Best Traineeship says, “Everyone is unique and equal.”

Branding is no longer solely about your company and your business. Encouraging your employees to build their brands and fostering those unique skills they bring to your company makes your company stand out from the crowd. And in this time of unprecedented employee shortages, is that not a win you would want to benefit from?

As stated earlier, their personal brand also becomes part of your company’s identity. The investment you made will initially benefit your team through sharing expertise and skills and building the future workforce. It develops employees who are passionate about contributing to the workplace. But after the traineeship, they will also bring these skills to their future roles. As our research shows through our annual benchmarking, Traineeships have a higher loyalty for long-term employee commitment, so ensuring that your traineeship emphasizes developing Personal Branding can increase that loyalty even further.  

Take the time to invest in the personal brands of your trainees and employees. It’s worth it.

Do you have a traineeship you’d like to showcase in our 2022 Best Traineeship awards? Is your passion for developing the personal brands of tomorrow’s workforce? Register now for this year’s competition.

As part of your entry, you’ll receive a personalized benchmark report on your company’s performance, containing valuable insights into performance analysis, competitive comparisons, continuous improvement opportunities, and future trend identifications.

The post Why Do Your Trainees Need To Develop Their Personal Brand? appeared first on Best Traineeship.

With over 4,300 employees and 100 years of experience, The Enexis Group is committed to sharing their expertise and knowledge and building today’s trainees into tomorrow’s employees and leaders. Mart Koeslag, the then manager of their traineeship program, talks with us about the experience of winning the awards and how it motivated the company.

Mart is now at Ludens Talent Development as a Senior Consultant,Trainer, and Coach. He reflects fondly on his time at the Enexis Group with us in this blog.

Hi Mart! Congratulations on the clean sweep of Best Traineeship 2020, with your Overall Best Traineeship Award and Best Traineeship Manager! How does it feel?

I am very proud of this! Proud of myself, of course, but above all of the team at Enexis. Every year with this team, we look at what can be improved. The world around Enexis is changing rapidly, affecting how Enexis organizes itself. Other unexpected matters such as Covid also require quick and unexpected adjustments. And last but definitely not least, how new generations learn requires that we continue to move into the future with this.

Together with our recruiters, involved (former) trainees, a management assistant, colleagues from different departments, HR colleagues, and external parties, we managed to respond to this to achieve an optimal Traineeship.

Receiving these titles is excellent recognition for all of us!

One of the things that we noticed was how you utilized social media to announce your participation and win – what was your motivation behind sharing in this way? 

Mainly because we are proud of the results achieved. Social media is also a powerful way to make yourself known as a company with new potential trainees and other colleagues. We see it as an important trainee recruitment tool. Enexis is a terrific company with many possibilities. We are happy to tell everyone this. Participating in ‘Best Traineeship ‘ provides an excellent platform for this.

Did you get feedback or reactions from (potential) trainees regarding your posts?

Yes, we have received a considerable amount of positive feedback.

 One of the exciting things we found was the number of people just commenting positively and congratulating Enexis on the win. Comments like how well deserved it was, and our proud they were of our program made us proud.

When trainees apply to our program, some have mentioned that they saw the Best Traineeship Awards recognized us.

What would you consider to be the significant benefit of the awards for anyone considering taking part in the benchmark survey and annual competition?

I believe there are three essential reasons.

1. It gives an excellent insight into how other companies and their traineeships are organized.

2. The benchmark survey among the (former) trainees provides a good overview of how they experience the traineeship. The specialists from the jury also provide feedback. This together provides valuable input for any desired adjustments.

3. Almost every medium to large company has a Traineeship. Enexis recommends participating in the competition, it will bring your distinctive company to the attention of new potential trainees.

What was the added value or positive impact of having the Best Traineeship recognition for Enexis? Can you give examples?

Almost all newly started trainees stated that they had seen that Enexis had been voted the best traineeship this year.

It has ensured a wide range of applications. This year we again had many trainees applying to our program, even in this difficult labor market

It has also given us insights into where we can improve our Traineeships and what is especially good about it. This helps us to identify the areas we should invest in, but also the areas that are good as they are or are potentially being over-invested in. Clarity in strengths and weaknesses give direction for investment and improvement.

What are the key learning points from the awards that you’ve taken away from the benchmark survey and jury feedback? What initiatives were implemented internally after receiving the report? Can you give examples?

I find this difficult to answer because a few months later, I changed employers. But I do have an example from the year before. At that time, we got the tip from @Best Traineeship to put the trainees more behind the wheel themselves concerning the content of our training components.

Enexis decided to make portfolios of various Traineeship components. Two trainees are responsible for each portfolio—for example, a portfolio of energy facilities training. Previously, the program arranged this for the trainees.

Now the trainees can see for themselves in the market who they want to talk to about this, which training courses are appropriate, etc. Most portfolios have a budget that they can deploy independently after a good plan.

In this way, they have more influence on the content and impact on the actual learning.

What words of wisdom do you have for future applicants to the annual competition?

Enter the conversation! Network and talk as much as possible with involved parties. Ask for feedback! Each time, this has given me new valuable insights to set up the best possible program for both your company and the trainees.

We want to thank Mart Koeslag, and the Enexis Group for their honesty and openness in answering all our questions and allowing us to interview them for this blog. (We’re looking forward to seeing what they bring to this year’s competition!)

You can join the 2022 Best Traineeship awards and showcase your incredible traineeship programs against the best. Click here.

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