Hello everyone! My name is Jeroen Goudzwaard and since June 2020, I can call myself a participant of the traineeship within Bilfinger in the Netherlands. Before I started working at Bilfinger, I studied Energy & Process Technology at the HZ University of Applied Sciences in Vlissingen. When I finished my bachelors, I moved to Eindhoven to do my masters in Chemical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology.
When I was almost done with studying, I already knew that I wanted to work as a process engineer. The reason being that I could be a part of many projects and see a lot of different processes and plants in real life. That’s why I initially applied as a junior process engineer within Bilfinger. During the application process, the question was raised whether I was interested in the traineeship that Bilfinger was developing. Of course I was interested, because I considered it a very valuable first step into your career. The traineeship involved four different half-yearly assignments covering four different sectors in which Bilfinger is active. This does not limit to four sectors such as food, pharma, energy and chemical. Other disciplines such as consultancy or a role within the mechanical team could also be possible.
I REALLY LIKE THAT THE PROGRAM IS NOT SET IN STONE AND THAT A NEXT ASSIGNMENT IS CHOSEN IN AGREEMENT WITH THE TRAINEE TO PROVIDE THE BEST CUSTOM-MADE TRAINEESHIP"
Right now, it is my third month as a trainee and I am really enjoying my time within Bilfinger. My first assignment that I have been working on is the design of a standardized CIP/SIP-system for the food and pharmaceutical industry. I do not work on it full time, because I also have smaller tasks coming from clients. For now, these usually include pressure drop calculations or calculations for safety devices. I feel like I’m learning something new every day, but my studies have definitely helped me a lot in understanding the background of these problems. I really like the combination of working on my own project and doing assignment for clients, since there is always something to do and it keeps me motivated to learn new things.
Soon it will be time for me to switch to a new assignment in a different sector. Together with Bilfinger, I’m still looking at which would suit me best. One option could be a role in a multidisciplinary project to experience the interaction between different disciplines. While being part of consultancy to solve various challenges for clients is also an option. Both areas seem really interesting and I am sure I will learn a lot either way.
I CAN REALLY RECOMMEND THE TRAINEESHIP TO OTHER STARTERS BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE BILFINGER TRIES TO PUT THE EFFORT TO GET THE BEST OUT OF YOU THROUGH THIS TAILOR-MADE PROGRAM."