Ms. A. van der Nol | Academy Support & Ms. N. Bisschops | Learning Development Advisor
More than 5000 people work at Van Oord. A Dutch family business with 150 years of experience as an international contractor in the maritime sector, they operate worldwide and specialize in dredging, oil, and gas infrastructure. They are also heavily involved in offshore wind, a sustainable solution for generating energy. Innovation, sustainability, and safety are their driving forces, both in offshore projects and for their employees, and the training programs offered by SOMA Bedrijfsopleidingen align perfectly with this philosophy.
Regularly in contact
Anita van der Nol and Nicolet Bisschops work at Van Oord and are often in contact with SOMA Bedrijfsopleidingen. With so many employees, it's inevitable. Anita: "My colleagues and I book the training courses. Some of them take place at SOMA Bedrijfsopleidingen or at our own company. So I'm in touch with SOMA almost daily." Nicolet: "I'm responsible for our (internal) clients. My L&D colleagues and I talk with managers or HR advisors about employee development and training. SOMA is one of our preferred suppliers, so I meet with them regularly."
Customized training
At Van Oord, they use training matrices. A lean way of working, where all training courses are managed based on company roles and training topics. Then, only the specific training courses need to be assigned to the staff. Nicolet: "I consult with SOMA, among others, about the content of our training courses. For example, in the area of hoisting training. I need to know exactly what they offer, which cranes they have, and whether they have a qualified instructor available. Our industry is very specific, so we always provide customized training."
On-site teachers
Providing training and courses for the maritime sector is a specialized field. Instructors sometimes have to travel on-site, for example, to a project site or a ship abroad. Anita: “We try to have as many training sessions as possible take place internally or at SOMA in Harderwijk, but this isn't always feasible. Sometimes our staff need to learn how to operate an excavator on a ship. In that case, the instructor goes on board with them and returns after a week. Fortunately, SOMA also has a wide range of similar maritime machinery on its premises, so the instructors don't always have to travel with us.”
Including hotel stay
The maritime training courses are rich in theory and practical experience, so Van Oord is no stranger to multi-day training sessions. Anita: “Our employees often have to travel to Harderwijk for several days for training or education. In that case, SOMA also arranges hotel accommodations. This is included in the training reservation. It saves us a lot of work. We only receive a copy of the confirmation and, ultimately, the certificate for processing in our system.”
Thinking about possibilities
Anita: "Many of the training courses we offer at SOMA are mandatory for a specific project. For example, we might need a small class of four people at short notice, without any 'external' participants. That always goes very smoothly at SOMA. They're very proactive in finding suitable staff, and they contact us directly if a spot opens up. We also use a Learning Management System that's also integrated with SOMA, so our employees can register themselves."
There's always something to arrange!
The maritime sector uses special machinery that requires just that little bit more expertise. This makes training even more enjoyable and challenging for SOMA. Nicolet: “We consciously choose SOMA Bedrijfsopleidingen. They are experts and truly understand what matters to us. They know exactly what we need and are flexible. They always try to arrange something for us. They put themselves in our shoes and genuinely think along with us. It's no wonder they're one of our preferred suppliers.”
