How can we inspire the youth, and more broadly, the entire working population, to show more interest in our sector? In a market where the employee, at least in theory, has the freedom to choose and newer generations have different expectations and demands, there are challenges for the ornamental horticulture sector as an employer.
Ruben Snoeij and Sietske Bertoen are both training managers at Nova College Campus Haarlemmermeer
To get to the bottom of this, the VGB recently organized a meeting at the Tech Campus in Roelofarendsveen, in the Netherlands, where representatives from education and marketing, as well as HR managers from various trading companies, held a discussion. Naturally, they didn't come up with a unanimous answer, but in summary, it could be said that there are challenges for both employers and educational institutions.
'Offer perspective!'
To put it bluntly, why would a youngster with every opportunity within reach pick a demanding job where they have to get up at 4 am every day for meager pay and poor working conditions? As stated in various ways by people in the audience, you need to offer perspective, and the rigid adherence to tradition and 'old-fashioned' views on what work is and how it should be carried out could certainly be critically questioned.
Rutger Overwater, retail project manager at FM Group
From knowledge to skills
The education experts present insisted on the need for more competency-based education. The world is changing quickly, and a classic model of education for, say, an electrician, is 'outdated', because apart from basic skills, each sector and subsector and even company requires unique tasks. The teacher has, therefore, become more of a coach. Examination should be much more focused on completing internships and compiling portfolios, and employers, in general, are called upon to do more in-house training of their own people.
Miranda Rijsdijk and Tom Stallinga, both entrepreneurs and lecturers at Hogeschool Inholland
Show what's happening
Lastly, the importance of giving young people an early insight into the workings of our sector was also highlighted. To illustrate this, Monique van Weerdenburg from Greenport Aalsmeer gave a presentation about all the activities they organize. Through a variety of fun projects, students of all ages are introduced to horticulture. Emphasis was also placed on sector communication. How do we stand in society? This is a task for parties like the Flower Bureau Holland, which, of course, should be backed by the sector itself.
In conclusion, Rutger Overwater, a young worker in his thirties who is employed at the FM Group and is building up a career within that organization, made a passionate plea to attract job seekers to flower trading. It was interesting how he, as a young person who chose to dive head first into trading, was bombarded with questions about his motives and findings.
The meeting ended with a social gathering.