Vacancies for internships and graduation assignments are available on the company stands when the first groups of students enter the ICD tent. There is no question of dawdling at the entrance because it is cold outside. They come from the annual event Engineering the future of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Building, the center for earthquake-resistant construction on the Zernike Campus in Groningen. With a conversation immediately upon arrival and a flyer, the students are made aware of our presence in a separate tent 50 meters away. Successfully.

,,Write your name down, then you will definitely hear from us'', says Sietske Dijkstra of FMI against two students. She is a metrology engineer and, together with her colleague, she is looking for enthusiastic students. “The assignments we have are ideas for directions and possibilities. Just say, to give the students a sense of what they could do with us. If someone reports to us, we start a conversation and look for a suitable assignment. And we will definitely make a follow-up appointment with students with whom we immediately feel a 'click'.” The list of names and e-mail addresses that is on the table next to the glass containers with colored peanuts is growing steadily.

Orientation

Many students do not know exactly what they are looking for and are therefore open to all kinds of things. That helps, because most don't really know our companies yet. One person is familiar with it. Like Max and Bart, both second-year mechatronics students at Hanze University of Applied Sciences. ,,I know WhisperPower from Drachten, where I did an internship for my MBO education'', says Bart. ,,But I didn't know that so many more interesting companies belong to the ICD.'' Both are surprised that next to the main hall there is still a tent with only high-tech companies. Max: ,,I'm in the right place here, because I want to do something with industrial automation.'' They don't go home with an internship just yet. Bart mainly orientates himself. “Getting acquainted and collecting business cards from appealing companies. I don't have to do an internship until next year, but then I know which companies are in the market for this."

Widely applicable

Peter Tamminga, product engineer at BD, during the conversations with the students, pay attention to one thing in particular. ,,I prefer students who want to deal with all kinds of things company-wide. You can always focus if they work with us. I want them to be noticed by the rest of our company as well.” Colleague Frans Freijen, involved in the ICD cobots 2.0 project, knows that it always works well with students from Hanze University of Applied Sciences. "They learn from us and they do projects for which we hardly have time, but which are important."

Choices

Sytze, a student of industrial engineering, is doing a minor in renewed energy. ,,I know the ICD from an 'in-house day' at Stork† I want to delve further into renewable energy before choosing an internship. I pay attention to great initiatives that attach great importance to sustainability. Maybe I'll find it here today.” Ruben, a second-year mechatronics student, is particularly interested in industrial automation and has his eye on Neopost† Nynke, second-year electrical engineering student, is surprised by the offer. “So many different companies! The medical sector appeals to me, I would like to develop medical equipment.'' Abe, third year electrical engineering student is looking for a graduation project. ,,I don't have a specific dream, but I prefer both embedded software and hardware development. I would prefer to design a new product and coordinate its hardware and software. BD could be a place for me and at Ziuz and Variass I will also visit you soon.”

Assignment

,,Students are attracted to the text on our exhibition wall, but they have no idea what technology we are working with. It doesn't matter, we explain that with love'', says Melvin Akker amusedly. He is a project engineer at Photonis and has noticed that his company could use some name recognition among the students. Yet at some point they are in line with him. ,,We don't have many assignments at the moment, but this is good for our brand awareness. And before you know it, a student walks in and you think: I'll just make up an assignment for him, as long as he comes to us!"