The new board of TalentIT Twente

There is a growing need for sharing knowledge between students and businesses. On one hand, IT talents lack the orientation of the business opportunities in Twente; on the other hand, companies have trouble finding the right staff. It is our aim to make this a win-win situation. That is why our board always consists of leading professionals from the business community. They have a broad perspective of our catchment area, as a result of which we ensure that talent is retained here.

TalentIT Twente recently changed its board of directors. We would like to thank our former board members Stefan Masselink and Evert Veldhuizen for their passion and effort in setting up this foundation. We would like to welcome the new board members Florian Overkamp (treasurer) and Yvon Berendsen (secretary). In this message we introduce the entire board. They tell why they fight for the retention of IT talent in the Twente region.

“In the 90s I went to Twente for a study, I’ve been sticking around ever since,” says Florian Overkamp. “As the founder of SpeakUp, I deal with various challenges, one of which is innovation. In order to stimulate that as much as possible, it’s nice to regularly gain new and diverse insights in your organisation”.

A good contact with the training institutions, but also with TalentIT are the foundation to achieve this, according to Florian. “Moreover, it is nice to challenge students to work in organisations and thus contribute to the development of their skills. Contributing to the world around us is one of the core values at SpeakUp. My part in the board of Stichting TalentIT matches that very well”.

– Florian Overkamp, Treasurer (founder of SpeakUp)

Yvon Berendsen (secretary) also talks about her experiences in the business community of Twente. “In 2010, I left the beautiful Veluwe to go to the East and settled in Twente,” says Yvon. “My career in IT began in 2014, when I started as a manager at SSC Twente within the municipality of Enschede”.

“Our partnership with TalentIT Twente ensures that we become better known among students. The great thing about this organisation is that we help students with great IT jobs and / or additional jobs for their development. They often provide an interesting contribution within our organisation”. According to Yvon, it is a great incentive for a fresh perspective and a valuable contribution within organisations with IT needs in Twente. “In this way, we invest into our future IT specialists and keep the IT talent within Twente”.

– Yvon Berendsen, Secretary (manager of SSC Twente)

Board member Jorens Thomassen has been working on training and retaining talent for years. “When I was studying at the University of Twente, I also discovered the business world in Twente, in addition to being a student. Initially as an internship, but later I also started working for the same company in a part-time job. An extremely rewarding and fun time,” says Jorens Thomassen, managing director of TRIMM.

“At TRIMM we believe that the industry has a strong responsibility for training talent. That is why we have been investing in young talent with our own academy Professionals in Training since 2006. Every year, dozens of students find a place in our programme. In addition to the extra income, students immediately have a relevant part-time job with which they invest in their future”.

There is a broader need among both students and the business community and Jorens wants to create a win-win situation in this way. “I think it is important that we can continue to operate from our region with highly educated people. But it is not possible for every organisation to start its own programme. That’s why we like to join forces with other companies and institutions and dedicate ourselves to talent development through TalentIT Twente”.

– Jorens Thomassen, Board member (managing director of TRIMM)

Last but not least, we asked our chairman, Jeroen van de Lagemaat, what drove him to come to Twente from Utrecht. “After high school in Utrecht, I came to Twente for sports and study at the University of Twente. At the time it was called the Technical University of Twente (THT),” he says. There’s more to his passion for talent preservation: “In Twente, where our children were born and raised, where we share love and suffering, where we live and work, I’m in my element, and we simply never want to leave”.

“At the University, I was, among other things, a researcher, project and institutional trainer, in which I particularly valued cooperation with companies. This is because it ensured that, with the results of science, we make real progress on the ground. That’s why I became director of NDIX in 2000, a public company with the aim of optimising the business climate for companies in Twente by means of ICT facilities and services. The talent is desperately needed to put it to good use in the companies”.

– Jeroen van de Lagemaat, Chairman (director of NDIX)