Ivo Stevens is following the Manufacturing Support & Supply Chain traineeship together with four other trainees. This three-year program offers him a great combination between theory and practice. "An inspiring path full of new insights that helps you to further develop yourself," says Ivo. But what is it really like to be a trainee at TMC? In this article Ivo, Tim Biesmans and Nina Donkers, all trainees at TMC, and Thierry Debertrand, Business Manager at TMC, explain what makes the traineeship so unique for them.

After studying Industrial Engineering and Management at Fontys, Ivo wants to develop himself further. He is not sure whether to take a master's degree or to start working straight away. Through a TMC Business Manager, he finds out that a traineeship at TMC offers him the best of both worlds: directly gaining work experience with a client of TMC and developing himself through courses and training sessions. He is currently working as a junior project engineer at ROCKWOOL® as part of the traineeship.

The right balance between theory and practice

During the program trainees are given the opportunity to develop new skills, which they can apply directly in their project at the client. "Together with a group of trainees, you follow hard- and soft skill training courses to develop yourself," says Ivo. Tim: "At university you get a lot of theory, but there is no focus on soft skills. In the traineeship you develop yourself in both areas. During courses on influencing and stakeholder management, you learn more about cooperation. You also learn how to make sure everyone is on the same page, despite different priorities."

In three years, trainees work on projects for different clients so that they can find out what their strength is. "Together with the trainee, we find a cool project that matches their wishes and competences," says Thierry.

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Coaching on the job

Ivo: "What I like about TMC is that I can learn from a professional mentor, which leads me to new insights." Just like Ivo, each trainee can turn to an experienced mentor from the field, who understands what challenges technical consultants encounter. Thierry: "The mentor visits the client's workplace every four to six weeks. This gives him or her a good image of the practical part and he or she can support the trainees even better on both hard and soft skill issues."

In addition, the trainees give each other feedback through structural intervision sessions. Here they reflect on the learned skills and discuss how they can apply them to their current client project. "Each trainee brings a different case to the intervision session, which gives you insights from various companies. This is a valuable addition to the sessions," says Nina.

A tailor-made program

According to Thierry, the uniqueness of the program lies in the four learning lines, of which the mentoring is one. The active based learning technique takes it to the next level. This technique contributes to Tim’s development: "With this traineeship I have grown professionally and personally. I haven't had that feeling before with other training programs. This program is made especially for me. For a starting employeneur that recently graduated. Clients also have a positive respond. For example, a client told Thierry that a TMC trainee makes a difference within the company faster than an average starter. In short, a traineeship at TMC takes your skills to the next level. Something which will certainly help Ivo, Tim and Nina in the rest of their careers.

Will a traineeship at TMC also be your next step? Apply now for one of our traineeships!