The collaboration with Yacht is part of the university’s ‘soft landing program’ for new employees who come here from abroad. This program aims to make it easier for newcomers to adjust to life in Twente. For staff members who move here with their partners, the program also offers the possibility of dual careers.
‘It is a one year pilot project that we started in the fall of 2018,’ says Mette Strubbe, the HR Policy Advisor on Recruitment & Internationalization. ‘Through collaboration with a recruitment company we aim to provide an extra service for our new employees. Yacht can help their partners apply for jobs in the Netherlands, prepare them for interviews and the Dutch job market. If the partner is also a scientist, we look at jobs within the UT and its network. The Yacht program can offer help to partners with a nonscientific background.’
The project came to existence during the process of creating the Hypatia chairs for full female professors, as a way to attract scientific talent to the UT. However, it is now available for all incoming staff. After the first year the UT will evaluate the cooperation with Yacht and decide if the program will continue.
