"It’s great that trainees like me are really taken seriously at the IND"

Jitske is participating in the government-wide I-Traineeship programme of the central government, which focuses specifically on the fields of ICT, data and cyber. The traineeship will last two years. It consists of three eight-month assignments with different organisations within the central government. For her first assignment, Jitske has been matched with the IND. Here, she is developing a tool which the IND can use to measure how staff handle data.

Data-driven working

‘Why data awareness is so important?’ Jitske asks. ‘Because the IND wants to be a reliable organisation. For that, you need complete and correct data. Let’s take the application procedure for a residence permit at the IND as an example. If staff enter all information completely and correctly, this will generate an accurate overview of data. Such as name, country of origin and the reason for the application. The IND can use this information to make reliable analyses. For example, we can see how long certain procedures take or how many applications in a certain category are being submitted. This allows the IND to make decisions about how we can better organise our services or how we process applications.’
‘Data plays a big role in how carefully and efficiently an organisation can work. So, data awareness means that staff realise how important it is to handle data responsibly.’
 

Measuring awareness

So actually, Jitske is working on influencing human behaviour? ‘That’s right,’ she laughs. ‘People will only change if they understand why they must do something in a certain way. To map this out, I am developing a tool which measures how staff handle data. I hope that it will allow me to determine how the IND is currently doing in terms of data awareness and where we can improve. The IND can then use this when I move to another government agency for my next trainee assignment.’

Warm welcome

‘I was immediately impressed by the openness and commitment of the colleagues around me, Jiske answers when asked how the start of her traineeship with the IND felt. ‘Everyone has been so willing to give their input and to help out. I really like that about this assignment: the opportunity to work on a project independently on the one hand and have a lot of contact with other trainees, different departments and staff on the other. I have a lot of freedom to organise my assignment and get support from colleagues whenever I need it. Because of this, my start here felt like a warm welcome. I knew from day one that I was being taken seriously and that the IND was open to my ideas. And this is a great feeling for trainees, who are taking their first steps on the labour market.’ 

Good match

So Jitske is taking her first steps at the IND. And she is happy about this. ‘Because I’ve also studied sociology and like to be socially involved, the IND felt all the more like a good match,’ she explains. ‘To me, it was an appealing idea that I would not only be working on policy but also contributing to an organisation that is close to practice and to people. I went to ’s-Hertogenbosch on a working visit and was able to see what the people at the desk do. I saw for myself how driven the people who work at the IND are, and that motivates me. It’s great that I can be a part of that.’

Career start

Would she recommend gaining work experience at the IND? ‘Absolutely,’ Jitske emphasises. ‘I think the IND is a dynamic organisation that is open to new ideas and has a diverse group of employees. Those who are scientifically trained may not have thought about it. But in that field you can do your thing as well. The IND offers many opportunities for personal development and wants to learn how to innovate itself. I think that it could be a very nice start to a career. Especially if you also want to make a contribution to society.’