Read the story of
Nicole - Production Engineer
Read the story of
Nicole Hartman - Production Engineer
Over four years ago, Nicole concluded her Hydraulic Engineering studies in Delft with a graduation project at an engineering firm. She knew one thing for certain: she wanted to be closer to the final result. She immediately decided to launch her career at Van Oord. "Being more involved in the execution, really seeing what is being done. I was looking for that feeling in my work," she explains. Although she already knew the company through fellow students and initially applied for a traineeship, her interviews led to an entry-level position as a Production Engineer Tenders. This proved to be the perfect environment to learn the trade, supported by excellent guidance from a great manager and a senior colleague.
Over four years ago, Nicole concluded her Hydraulic Engineering studies in Delft with a graduation project at an engineering firm. She knew one thing for certain: she wanted to be closer to the final result. She immediately decided to launch her career at Van Oord. "Being more involved in the execution, really seeing what is being done. I was looking for that feeling in my work," she explains. Although she already knew the company through fellow students and initially applied for a traineeship, her interviews led to an entry-level position as a Production Engineer Tenders. This proved to be the perfect environment to learn the trade, supported by excellent guidance from a great manager and a senior colleague.
To gain hands-on experience, Nicole transitioned to the Production Support department. During this year, she was on the road a lot, primarily spending time on board Hoppers. A major highlight was her trip to a project in Taiwan—a project for which she had actually handled the tender herself in her previous role. "It allows you to compare the project in the tender phase, and all the information you have at your disposal then, with what it actually looks like in practice during execution," Nicole says. "This way, you can verify your own assumptions and stay involved in the rest of the project. That was incredibly educational." She also contributed to a coastal defense project in Romania, where she optimized the production process by working both at the local project office and directly on board the vessel. Today, she brings all this practical field knowledge back into her current, familiar role in the Tenders department.
A great atmosphere and Young Van Oord
When asked how she likes working at Van Oord after four years, Nicole is absolutely clear: "I absolutely love it. I’ve felt at ease right from the start; you can ask anyone anything." She quickly found her place within a fun team with several other young colleagues. She describes them as true peers whom she can ask work-related questions, but with whom she also regularly plays sports or grabs a drink.
Alongside her regular responsibilities, Nicole is actively involved as a board member for Young Van Oord. She highly recommends that other young colleagues join this network: "You instantly gain a fun community of young colleagues and immediately meet many people from different corners of the company. Together, we organize events: 'in depth' sessions to expand our professional knowledge, but of course social events as well. There is always something fun to do every month, so I highly recommend it!"
To gain hands-on experience, Nicole transitioned to the Production Support department. During this year, she was on the road a lot, primarily spending time on board Hoppers. A major highlight was her trip to a project in Taiwan—a project for which she had actually handled the tender herself in her previous role. "It allows you to compare the project in the tender phase, and all the information you have at your disposal then, with what it actually looks like in practice during execution," Nicole says. "This way, you can verify your own assumptions and stay involved in the rest of the project. That was incredibly educational." She also contributed to a coastal defense project in Romania, where she optimized the production process by working both at the local project office and directly on board the vessel. Today, she brings all this practical field knowledge back into her current, familiar role in the Tenders department.
A great atmosphere and Young Van Oord
When asked how she likes working at Van Oord after four years, Nicole is absolutely clear: "I absolutely love it. I’ve felt at ease right from the start; you can ask anyone anything." She quickly found her place within a fun team with several other young colleagues. She describes them as true peers whom she can ask work-related questions, but with whom she also regularly plays sports or grabs a drink.
Alongside her regular responsibilities, Nicole is actively involved as a board member for Young Van Oord. She highly recommends that other young colleagues join this network: "You instantly gain a fun community of young colleagues and immediately meet many people from different corners of the company. Together, we organize events: 'in depth' sessions to expand our professional knowledge, but of course social events as well. There is always something fun to do every month, so I highly recommend it!"
Persoonlijke en professionele groei
We zorgen voor elkaar
Goede arbeidsvoorwaarden
Persoonlijke en professionele groei
We zorgen voor elkaar
Goede arbeidsvoorwaarden
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