“Without the Technician Talent Pool I never would have been hired as a technician”

In a nutshell:

• In response to a severe shortage of technical profiles on the job market, Unilin developed the Technician Talent Pool. The concept? For five weeks, new hires take an intensive basic training course at Unilin’s training centre The Dive in combination with a traineeship in their future workplace.
• In 2023 Milan Devos (21) took the first training course organised by the Technician Talent Pool and he now works as a technician at Unilin Panels in Oostrozebeke (Belgium).

The Technician Talent Pool gave Milan the little nudge he needed to switch jobs. Milan: “Without that training course I never would have thought a job as a technician was an option. At school I studied woodworking and in my first jobs I worked as a carpenter and a technical draftsman. At school I only had an introduction to engineering.”

Youngest of the team

I chose a job as a technician because I was looking for a new challenge. I was starting to feel out of place at my previous employer. When I mentioned this to a friend he suggested I come and work with him, at Unilin. He handed in my application form and before long I was invited for an interview. From the very first interview they suggested I enrol in the Technician Talent Pool. While I was waiting for the training to start, I was allowed to shadow the mechanics and technicians. The job really appealed to me and I haven’t regretted my decision for one second (laughs). I enjoy working here. I’m the youngest of the team but I’m not left to my own devices. When I have a question they help me out.”

Milan is a fan of the Talent Pool concept. “Thanks to this programme I was given the opportunity to make a career change. If the programme didn’t exist I never would have applied for the job. My friend had also reassured me. He said that at Unilin experience is not required to start a new job.” All these elements convinced Milan to take the plunge.

Lessons and traineeship combined

After shadowing on the work floor for a few months, Milan began the training with a small group of fellow trainees. “We had full-time classes four days a week and one day a week we shadowed in our future workplace. Everyone had already been hired as a technician and knew where they would be working after completing the training course. That is a major plus, I don’t know if I would take evening classes to become a technician on my own and at my own expense. I think that by offering this training, more people will be inclined to take on a new job as a technician.”

“The training helped me deepen my technical knowledge. I’d learned the basics at school but the course went into greater detail. The section on electricity and maintenance mechanics in particular was highly instructive.”

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