‘I studied Business and Consumer Sciences in Wageningen with a specialization in Food Technology on the side. My study encompassed the entire chain, which is why Bakker was very appealing to me’

As a trainee you often start working in production, as a team leader. This way you get to know Bakker’s basic processes, and you also understand the effect of a decision in other departments. Once a week you work on a project somewhere else in the company. You are thrown in the deep end: ‘we will place you in that department, try it out.’ Through this approach I’ve learned that you can do a lot more than you think.

What I like about Bakker is the personal attention: Who are you and how can you best develop yourself. You are taken very seriously. As a ‘fresh perspective’ I was allowed to take a look at process improvement in the workplace. The following applies: ‘If you have an idea, go for it!’ You also get a lot of responsibility, as a team leader I was in charge of 35 people. It was really cool that I managed to do that during a very busy period. But if you need help, it’s there – you do have to ask it yourself.

You rotate through the company so broadly that you can develop yourself, discover what you are good at and what you like. You push your limits and sometimes it can be a little bit confronting. Bakker itself is an informal and accessible company. The door is always open and people are very helpful. It’s never ‘I’ll do it tomorrow: we’ll do it together, and we’ll do it now.’

“After spending six months in production in Packaging, I recently went to work for Marketing and Quality. You switch jobs every six months, enabling you to get to know the company and the people better. Currently I'm actually working in two departments. You always spend at least one project day working in another department. I like the variety. The culture at Bakker is very informal. The people here are approachable, open-minded and have a no-nonsense approach.

I also really appreciate the coaching. Every month I meet with a member of the management team to discuss my experiences and what I did or could do. In that sense, I find it all very personal. The idea is to understand what suits me and hopefully find a permanent job here. I already have responsibility and my salary is in line with the market. I don’t feel like a trainee. This is a great springboard and you don’t have to be a career tiger. What I enjoy is the broad scope. And that is the main strength of this traineeship. They are always on hand to help. They even helped me out with a small amount of fruit and vegetables for my football club even though this meant additional work for one of our employees.”