Over 300 people packed out the the International Welcome Center North for an afternoon and evening of job-hunting, networking, and celebrating the launch of Make it in the North.
By Thomas Ansell
A crowd of expectant attendees thronged outside the IWCN at Gedempte Zuiderdiep 98 on 11 July, waiting patiently next to a giant balloon arch, and peering through the windows. Huge green-blue signs, reading ‘Career Fair’, ‘Workshops’, ‘Here & Now Stage’ and more hung quietly over the soon-to-be-full room. As soon as the doors opened, an active buzz filled the building: of people sharing ideas, meeting people, and finding opportunities.
According to feedback, attendees came from as far away as Braunschweig in Northern Germany, and the average mark out of ten was 7.9. Those who gave feedback in particular praised the quality of the speakers, the content of the workshops, and the music of DJ Irie, who played throughout the event.
‘Future Work’ was the first in a series of career-focussed events run by Make it in the North, a new project hoping to help more international people live and work in the Northern Netherlands. The theme this time was ‘the future of working’, and keynote speakers inspired audiences with their ideas about working without physical offices, and running companies without any managers at all.
Downstairs, the workshop rooms were filled to bursting with people listening to interesting talks on ‘how to turn your PhD into a company’, and ‘the 5G connectivity revolution’, as well as inspiring workshops about becoming an entrepreneur, and extremely useful presentations about taking advantage of the Netherlands’ ‘search year permit’: allowing talented graduates to stay in the Netherlands for a year with no working restrictions, after they graduate.
At the career fair, Northern Dutch companies, which ranged from interesting start-ups to the local branches of some of the biggest business names in the world, met talented people of all backgrounds, hoping to find their next step in Groningen, Friesland, or Drenthe.
As the sun set, Make it in the North-green glasses of champagne were raised, ready to toast the coming of www.makeitinthenorth.nl, a new portal for finding jobs, companies, opportunities, news, culture, and more in the Northern Netherlands.
Watch the official aftermovie of Future Work x Make it in the North above, and make sure to check out Make it in the North for jobs, information, and news about more exciting career events
Thomas Ansell is the Internationalisation Coordinator at the IWCN, and works on Make it in the North
