Students and employers come together at the Hague ICT-Career Day

Last Tuesday, the ADO Den Haag Stadium was the setting for the third Hague ICT-Career Day. Together with its partners, THUAS brought hundreds of students from HBO-ICT, ADS & AI, and MBO-programmes into direct contact with more than forty companies and professional partners from the field. In addition to the company fair, visitors could attend knowledge sessions to prepare them for the professional world. 

Programme Manager HBO-ICT, Serge Wallagh, had a clear message for the students: “We do not educate students to write papers in an attic. This is where the work is, and you are the talent. So start the conversation, discover where you fit in, and seize the opportunity to build your network.” 

Talent in Development 

This day focuses on students from the region who are looking for an (graduation) internship or their first job. Both our own students and those from mboRijnland and other technical programmes took advantage of the opportunity to connect directly with employers. “I learned too late myself how important networking is”, said the director of mboRijnland, Michael Lindeman. “Today is the moment to start.” 

Perspectives on talent are also changing. “Due to rapid technological developments, we need to look differently at skills”, says Kim Schofaerts from the Municipality of The Hague. “It’s about the balance between hard skills and soft skills. Both are necessary to continue developing yourself as an IT professional.” 

Stronger together in the region 

The Municipality of The Hague plays an important role in the organisation, but the connecting factor behind this event remains the Dutch Innovation Community. Sandra Steenvelt, chair of this community, explains: “It’s about getting to know each other and discovering together where you fit in. The fact that we are here for the third time with so many companies and students makes me proud.” 

In addition to connecting, there is also ambition to continue building. “There are many initiatives existing alongside one another”, says Ingmar Wielinga, connector at the Municipality of The Hague. “We need to bring them together and scale them into one movement. With the launch of the Zuid-Holland Matcht platform, we are taking the next step.” 

More than one day a year 

For the region, the event is the key platform for attracting and retaining talent. Kim adds: “We are building an ecosystem in which talent develops and stays here.” With initiatives such as Zuid-Holland Matcht, contact between students and companies continues even after the event. Because, as Sandra put it: “One day a year is not enough.”