This week the SLIM grant of €500,000 was awarded, which will enable the Talent Center Twente to be established. The Talent Center will be a physical meeting place at Kennispark for companies and talents, where talent initiatives will have a place. VONK (Vereniging Vastgoed en Ondernemers Kennispark) is initiator of the project and together with SubCode applied for the grant and is carrying out the project with the six Twente companies QBayLogic, LioniX International, Micronit, Movella, Winkels Techniek and Comyoo.
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Delen
Twente is known as a high-tech region, within which Kennispark occupies a unique position as a high-tech hotspot. Technology and innovation are the order of the day, but attracting, retaining and growing the right personnel requires an extra step. Especially when it comes to SMEs, this is a pretty hefty step, while the power of innovation is right there with the SMEs. Talent is needed at all levels and within all experience grades: from students to senior professionals and from university educated to practically trained. In addition, the ever faster changing technologies and trends play a role. To keep up and stay ahead of the competition, companies need to regularly upskill and train their employees.
Increase availability of qualified personnel
To strengthen the regional position and for SME companies to join forces in talent retention, the Talent Center Twente is being established with the help of the SLIM grant. The companies are working together to continue to develop the necessary skills among employees and increase the availability of qualified personnel. The Talent Center provides an accessible platform to teach the latest technologies and trends and keep employees’ skills up to date.
Increase availability of qualified personnel
To strengthen the regional position and for SME companies to join forces in talent retention, the Talent Center Twente is being established with the help of the SLIM grant. The companies work together to continue to develop the necessary skills in employees and increase the availability of qualified personnel. The Talent Center provides an accessible platform to teach the latest technologies and trends and keep employees’ skills up to date.
Within the Talent Center, companies at Kennispark can collaborate and share knowledge. This promotes not only the personal growth of employees, but also the growth of the entire industry. By working together on training programs, participating companies can benefit from each other’s expertise and experience.
Training designed and tailored to needs
The Talent Center consists of an academy, a Learning Management System with different learning lines/routes and relevant trainings. Each partner has its specific interpretation within this project. Initially, the training needs of the current partners will be inventoried to serve as a basis for the creation of the Talent Center. At a later stage, the training courses will be accessible to every VONK member, so that this can strengthen the entire region. In this way, specialized and customized training can be offered, targeting the specific needs and skills required within the tech sector. Training is designed and tailored to the needs of the companies. As a result, the skills learned are directly relevant to the jobs and projects. Employees can immediately put the concepts and skills learned into practice.
Collaboration of educational organizations
Within the Talent Center, both internal experts and external lecturers are recruited to teach. Internal teachers are often experienced employees who share their knowledge and experience, while external teachers may be specialists from outside the organization. Cooperation is sought here with educational organizations such as the University of Twente, Saxion and the ROC van Twente, but training organizations from the region may eventually join as well. Programs will be added aimed at developing leadership skills, technical expertise and other specific competencies needed for career growth.
First hub of Talent Center Twente at Kennispark
The first physical hub will be at the Slimme Verbinding on Hengelosestraat, in the extension of Institutenweg and become:
- A place where all talent initiatives physically come together, collaborate and possibly even merge
- The meeting place for companies, education and talents, no algorithms but human work
The TalentHub will be a matchmaking tool with:
- Vacancies for internships, graduation, (side) jobs and traineeships
- Employees who have knowledge of companies and talents, but especially of recruitment and personal development with the aim of retaining talent in Twente
- Job coaching, training and more
Maarten Kuper, managing director QBayLogic and chairman of VONK’s Talent Committee: “In the Talent Center Twente we want to cooperate with each other from the perspective of Twente’s interests and be there for the companies and the talents. Here we are talking about the upcoming talents of ROC, Saxion and University of Twente, but also about the talents already working. Bringing the talents to Twente and keeping them in Twente is our common goal. If the talent does not fit with one company, we will provide a suitable place with another Twente company, as long as the talent does not have to leave Twente for a nice job.“
