Not without reason, of course: over the past year, we’ve been able to build a great relationship with this wonderful company, and we wanted to share that with the outside world. Recruiting and sustainably placing international candidates is an intensive process, and we are pleased that Hittech has embarked on this journey with us.
Marieke Smit-Fenneman has been the HR Manager at Hittech Bihca for a year now, and since then, she has been our primary contact. Jan-Willem frequently visits to introduce candidates and discuss updates, but Bregke had never been there before. So, just before the interview, we received a brief tour of the various workshops in the building. It was very impressive to see how they operate there and the high-tech machines they have.
In this interview, we want to delve a little deeper into our collaboration. If you’re curious, keep reading!
With Jan-Willem, I immediately felt a connection, and I must say that JAWS always felt good anyway. My father has always worked at Kaak, and my brother-in-law still works there, so I was already familiar with the Kaak Group. Additionally, it’s a local company, so that made me quickly trust JAWS International. But what I especially appreciate is the personal approach and not pushing too much. Additionally, the staff you find and recommend – from what I have experienced – have the right knowledge and experience. Genuine professionals, which you don’t find just anywhere. Through the people you have placed with us, you have been able to show who JAWS is. And the guarantee you provide with housing and everything, ensuring that people really end up in a warm environment. And that suits us, that’s how we are too.
And how is the contact with our back office? Professional, good contact, they know exactly what they’re doing. And that makes it easy when you have questions; we always get a quick response. Both sides are transparent; the communication is really top-notch.
I think it’s completely consistent from all sides, a complete package. How you present yourselves, small things like professionalism. And also, for example – we naturally offer language lessons to our employees – and you do that too.
Last year, we set something up in collaboration with Graafschap College, which was already running when I came here in March. Then we made it a bit more specific: what do they want to learn, how far along are they? They learn things like buying bread, but also conversations in the canteen, communication for emergencies. And it’s all going very well; language lessons are given every week. At the end, they receive a certificate, so that’s nice too.
And in this way, we also show that they are not just employees, you do your thing here and then go home, because that’s definitely not the case.
Definitely. We also see here that when employees need help, team leaders make time in their private lives. Recently, for example, there was an international employee who was moving, and then other colleagues helped arrange things like insurance. And there are many examples like that which I can’t mention all of course. But you see that it doesn’t stop when working hours end; they are so involved with each other. You also see that with the guys who live in your accommodation in Winterswijk; they really have a connection with each other.
What also helps is that you see that the international employees don’t come here for financial reasons, but they really love the profession. We also have high-tech precision work here, not just simple turning and milling. When they walk in here, you can really see people thinking “wow”. We have the latest machines, and that just makes it fun too.
Yes, it’s quite a high level that you demand from someone. They also need to program, and you really need insight. And for our clients, things are made that need to be accurate to a hundredth of a hair. That also means that craftsmanship is involved. You can keep learning in this profession; people remain stimulated. We’re a year on with the candidates through you, and most of them we see growing here.
No, not at all. I always believe in the goodness of people anyway. You always have to see what people do well and not so well. Whether they’re European or Dutch, I don’t think there’s much difference. I also think that the countries where these employees come from, the work ethic there is also good. They are social, pick things up quickly, pay attention. Many Dutch people could still learn something from the people you place here.
With a nicer compliment, we couldn’t conclude this interview. We want to thank Marieke immensely for her time and the tour at Hittech in Winterswijk.