80 students and young professionals; 21 nationalities
On Wednesday 30 September, a ‘cross-border dinner’ took place at the AVANTIS business park in Heerlen. This dinner marked the end of a day during which an international group of young people with high potential experienced first-hand what it is like to be part of the Limburg business community. The group consisted of 80 students and young professionals from over 21 different countries, including representatives from Nigeria, Peru and India. Progress was also discussed regarding the ‘Young Professionals Barometer’ study (working title).
The young professionals started the day at branding agency Connect Limburg, founder of the cross-border dinner initiative. Connect Limburg worked together with various partners in the Limburg area, including Zuyd University of Applied Sciences, Maastricht School of Management, Smurfit Kappa, Arion en Medtronic. Internal tours were held at Smurfit Kappa and Medtronic, a presentation was given on the Brightlands Chemelot Campus, and a group discussion took place between representatives from the spheres of government, education and business.
Bart van Kerkhof, Country Manager at Medtronic, had the following to say: ‘Everything starts with communication. If you want to show young professionals from home and abroad the benefits of working in the border region of Limburg, you have to seek them out first, such as by contacting universities or by holding information days and company visits.’
Eric Joosten, CEO of Arion, adds, ‘Limburg is not on the margins. It is right at the centre of Europe. This means that we have a lot to offer young professionals. This group is naturally on the lookout for interesting, rewarding jobs – and those jobs are in Limburg.’
The young professionals that took part in the event showed great enthusiasm and even had some recommendations of their own. Mohamed Mahdi from Yemen suggested the following: ‘The border region of Limburg has many advantages and will no doubt attract the attention of international students and job seekers. I would like to have more detailed information about Limburg and the opportunity to share knowledge about the region. An online information portal would be a great resource.’
And Conny Moonen, Director of Connect Limburg, has the final word: ‘We now see that the opportunity is there to establish cross-border links with partners efficiently and effectively. A symbolic dinner on the border was an excellent way to round off the proceedings.’
For more information about this press release, please contact Marcel Abrahams, Strategic Communications Advisor at Connect Limburg: m.abrahams@connectlimburg.eu/ 06-11873046
Source and photo: Limburg crossborders