A new recession

“There's no way we're not heading into a new recession,” says Schuijl. “We're hearing alarming reports from growers and food producers, among others, who will be hit with far too high energy bills this winter and will shut down production as a result.” According to Schuijl, after the 2013 recession a lot of Dutch and international tradespeople became available in construction and engineering. Schuijl is preparing for the same scenario: “The current government measures are a burden on businesses, and support packages are no longer a solution. From a labour perspective that's a problem, and it calls for a pragmatic approach.”

Opportunities for new people entering the labour market

It's Andre Schuijl's personal mission to keep people from the construction and technical sector in work. He also sees a chance for this group of tradespeople to contribute to another social issue: making businesses and private homes more sustainable. “We saw the challenges coming and in 2021 we started a training centre where we offer available tradespeople a free short training course. The aim is to get these tradespeople back into the labour market as quickly as possible, albeit in a different field.”

Jobxion: training centre for construction and engineering

Jobxion's training centre offers vocational courses that contribute to making the Netherlands more sustainable. Candidates are trained as carpenters, concrete carpenters, electricians, solar panel installers or heat pump installers. Some construction and technical knowledge is required. The training centre offers modules in which the candidate develops new, job-specific skills in just a few days. That way an electrician, for example, can quickly retrain as a solar panel installer.

Job guarantee

Once a candidate completes a course, they're guaranteed a job. A very ambitious goal with a big promise. “The goal comes with plenty of challenges along the way,” says Schuijl. “A large part of the solution lies with our internal departments. The practical instructors, for instance, have become indispensable in making the right match, because they can give a sound assessment of a candidate's experience, skills and behaviour.”

The importance of a well-organised recruitment process

Schuijl argues for a well-organised recruitment process, where only potential candidates are seen at the training centre. “Where we used to focus on speed, we now prioritise the process. This means we see fewer candidates at the training centre, because of stricter recruitment and selection. To make the right match, the link between the recruitment, sales and marketing departments is essential.”

A vision on recession

“Success in a recession comes from effort in times of prosperity and in times of economic challenge,” says Schuijl. He puts in that effort in leadership, entrepreneurship, change management and sales. With a future recession in mind, André is prepared for a market that changes once again. He's determined to keep innovating with the training centre and to carry on with his mission. He focuses on new opportunities, inspired by management author and writer Jos Burgers on topics such as strategy, marketing and customer focus.

The future of the labour market

“For the Netherlands, training new legal workers would be a godsend,” says Schuijl. According to him, this group includes many tradespeople who, with the right investment in language and retraining, could enter the labour market. “We have to make the best of it,” Schuijl believes. “Not everyone in the Netherlands is eager to see migrants arrive, but if you want to keep the economy running you need them, so it's also important to train them well.”

UPDATE 02/24
The training centre has since closed.

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