Techport was the first organisation in IJmond to submit an entirely labour market-focused project to JTF IJmond. The application for the 'Strategic HR for SMEs' project has been honoured with over half a million euros of EU funding. The other half of the project costs are contributed by Techport itself, RBA ZKIJ and the province of North Holland.
Tight labour market in IJmond
Alderman of the Municipality of Beverwijk Brigitte van den Berg, whose portfolio includes Economy, Environment, Healthy Living Environment and Sustainability, Work and Income and (Vocational) Education: "It is a difficult time to get staff! Medium-sized and small entrepreneurs can use some help in this regard. Especially if your business is changing and employees need new skills. This is one of the reasons why Techport is working on a strategic HR approach for SMEs. Especially for tech companies that are working on sustainability or making the transition to renewable energy."
Project objective
Obviously, the aim of this support to SMEs is to improve inflow, retention and development of workforce for engineering and energy transition. Until 2030, it is estimated that 12,000 additional workers are needed in engineering to achieve the goals of the energy transition. This project supports 75 SMEs, 1,500 employees are offered a career interview and 50% can then follow a training path. In addition, jobseekers with a distance to the labour market will receive job search assistance.
Focus is on making industry more sustainable
Maintenance and installation companies, which contribute to making the industry more sustainable, are the first to be approached for participation in this project. The strategic HR approach is individual, provides tailor-made solutions and is practical. Participating companies and their employees are helped concretely to meet their HR challenges in a future-oriented way.