Career inspiration for talented students
Most winners of the prestigious Huygens scholarship enter a world of opportunities after graduation. But how do they decide which career path to take? Real-life stories of successful careers, combined with practical tips and insights into job opportunities, can inspire them to make the right choice.
That was the aim of the event titled Moving forward, held on 21 April at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. About 60 members of the Huygens Talent Circle (HUTAC) attended the event. HUTAC is an association of current holders of a Huygens scholarship and Huygens alumni, both from the Netherlands and abroad.
Learning by doing
In his kick-off speech, keynote speaker Professor Maurits van Rooijen, Rector Magnificus and CEO of Nyenrode Business University, explained how he learned to handle deadlines and understand his target audience while he was working alongside his studies.
The skills he gained th is way, outside of school and university, contributed just as much to his career as what he learned during classes. His motto became: you learn most by doing things.
He stressed that academic success does not automatically guarantee business success. You need what he called contextual intelligence, which you get from making mistakes, and you need to be able to work with others as a team.
Career opportunities in the Netherlands
Apart from the plenary sessions, there were parallel sessions about various practical matters. Nuffic’s Rosa Becker spoke about opportunities on the Dutch labour market for foreign graduates. Her colleague Ilse Schenk gave an overview of Dutch immigration policy, including the special tax and immigration schemes for highly-skilled migrants.
In other parallel sessions several speakers with successful careers talked about their professional development and the challenges they faced.
The participants were then split into groups to reflect on what they had learned. In keeping with the Olympic setting, representatives of each group then passed a baton in a relay of presentations of their group’s insights.
Retaining knowledge workers
Retaining international students after graduation for work in the Netherlands is important for the Dutch knowledge economy. Nuffic therefore supports activities such as the Moving Forward event, which inform international students and graduates on career opportunities.
To make it easier for alumni to find information on work opportunities in Holland, Nuffic is setting up a new business and career portal.