In short:
Global Goal
This article is part of the series 'Twente lives!' Here you will read personal stories about working and living in Twente. According to young talent ed people that we speak to, Twente is the place to be. The beautiful nature, the space, the down-to-earth mentality; all things that characterize Twente. In addition, there are plenty of career opportunities! Twente has many innovative, international and future-proof companies that are in need of additional staff. Want to know what Twente has to offer? The story of Marike Lammers can be found below.
Marike started working at design agency Indes in Hengelo but switched to Pemstar (now called Benchmark) in Almelo. “Europe was at our feet. We had to invent it all because Almelo was where Benchmark started.” This was perfect for Marike because she loves being a pioneer. That is also what her job consists of at her current employer, Saxion. She is the manager of Saxion’s new Education Innovation Hub, and the Top Talent Programme is part of this. “The classical thinking about education is not future-proof if you ask me. GenZ and the generation after it act and think very differently, and education must be prepared. In the hub, we are working on ways we can shape education so that it is suitable. Thinking about what you want in advance and then following a set programme is, in our opinion, not the way to appeal to the intrinsic motivation of students. I think you have to move towards a kind of learning community. Gathering people around you who have something to offer. Doing internships at companies and, when you find the right direction, look at what is needed to be able to do the job and adjust the education to that. Whether at Saxion or elsewhere in the country or world, everything is possible online. This demands a lot from the education system and teachers, of course, but that’s a nice challenge.”
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The Top Talent Programme is an example of the new way of education, as far as Marike is concerned. Students can participate in extracurricular programmes that appeal to them. “This appeals to their intrinsic motivation”, according to Marike. “Having an employer who gives you the opportunity to develop a long-term vision in the field of education is very nice. A good vision will allow us to be a future-proof university.”
Marike enjoys her work a lot, but there has to be time for relaxing as well. She mainly finds this in her current hometown of Enschede. “We have two children and a house in Roombeek. It is so nice how people interact here. We don’t speak to our neighbours every day, but we know the people in the neighbourhood, and we know that they are there for us if there’s a problem. And the other way around. I didn’t even know my neighbours in Delft. These kinds of things make me love living in Twente. And the fact that I can play tennis here. I was on a waiting list for six years in Delft and never got my turn. The possibility of going to a theatre, to a music association, to great mountain bike routes, to great restaurants… Twente has everything I need. And I can also contribute to society through, for example, my role on the supervisory board of the public library in Enschede and through charitable activities from the Rotary. I love it here!”
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Twente lives
Twente is the ideal place to live and work, according to the talents we meet. Want to know why? Read personal stories about living and making a career in Twente on twente.com/twente-leeft. Want to look for a job immediately? Then take a look at our extensive job site.
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