This article is part of a series called “Twente Leeft!” (Twente Lives!). You can read personal stories here about living and working in Twente. Twente is a nice place to be, according to the talents we meet. The beautiful nature, space, the down-to-earth mentality; they all characterise Twente. There are also plenty of career opportunities! Twente has many innovative, international and future-proof companies that are desperate for staff. Want to know what Twente has to offer? You can find Robert Veldhuis’s story below.
Robert worked as a CNC turner after graduating from his secondary education. He was ready for something else after a while and followed a two-year Traineeship at Twence. This would allow him to join various departments. “Twence has always been very interesting to me. I used to come here as a child because my uncle happens to work here as well. I had already had various tours and came here regularly as part of my previous job. I see a lot of things that have to do with my previous job and technical background. An advantage of this is usually already knowing how something has been constructed, how it has been made. “I’d like to work there”, is what I’ve always thought to myself, and I have been working at Twence for almost three years now.”
“I am currently still studying to be a Process Operator. We mainly process the VGF waste in my department, and I manage that process. I make sure that the processing of waste continues to run smoothly, that the conveyor belts do not get jammed and that the engines keep running properly. We also monitor both digesters, besides processing the VGF waste.”
“I learnt much more than just that during my Traineeship, however. I worked as a maintenance engineer for a year and could join a team that takes care of the major maintenance stops at Twence. I also follow various training courses here at all times, most of them in the evenings. I think that this is very important: anything you can learn is great, it is a nice bonus. It is sometimes quite challenging, however, because I also have a family with young children.”
“I am currently following training during work hours. Twence gave me the time for this. I already have something new to do in mind as well, for after this training. As far as that’s concerned, it’s a good thing that the Carnival will not take place in 2021”, Robert jokes.
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Robert grew up in Rossum but currently lives in Denekamp. He feels most at home in a village and travels to work in Hengelo by bike. “It takes about 45 minutes on an electric bike. I like to go mountain biking or motorcycling in my spare time. We have the most beautiful nature of the Netherlands here. You can find me there regularly. We regularly cycle along the canal in Denekamp with our daughters after dinner to go get ice cream, absolutely great!”
“Living in a big city is not for me. A weekend of city trips is long enough for me, and I like going home afterwards. I think the beauty of Twente is that we know and are familiar with one another. We can still live and let live here, and that is very important to me.”
Robert indicates that there are many job opportunities in Twente. “Twente is the place to be for anything regarding technique. I come from the technological world, and I noticed that technology is fundamental here. High-quality products and machines are made here, and I’m incredibly proud of it! There is plenty to choose from here in Twente, especially if you want to do manual labour. But there is also plenty of room for you as a person when you want to make a complete career switch, just like I did.”
Twente lives
Twente is the ideal place to live and work, according to the talents we meet. Want to know why? Read personal stories about living and making a career in Twente on twente.com/twente-leeft. Want to look for a job immediately? Then take a look at our extensive job site.
Date: 1 October 2020 |