Sioux and Freshheads working on inclusion

The Brainport region is shy of ICT professionals. Yet there are still HBO ICT graduates with diplomas sitting at home on the couch or going to work in jobs far below their level. We put the spotlight on two companies that support this mostly neuro-divergent target group and allow them to flourish.

Neuro divergent candidates struggle with the traditional application process. Together with Student+ and Career Jumpstart, Sioux and Fresheads are working on inclusion to allow this unique talent to flourish.

Vera Zonneveld, who works as a recruiter at Fresheads, has been active as a volunteer study coach at Student+ at Fontys ICT for several years. Student+ is there for students with a support need, such as students with adhd, autism, (failure) anxiety, dyslexia or with physical and/or psychological complaints. In her role as a volunteer study coach, Vera coaches students, where her expertise as a recruiter comes in extremely handy. In addition to people skills and a broad network, she also has a lot of knowledge about applying for jobs and finding the right workplace that matches the student's talent. She has an eye for the individual and is able to ask the right question at the right time. We are also very happy with her contribution during the application training, where we take students through the entire process of applying for a job in small groups. As a final piece of the 4-day job application training, students can practice the job interview with Vera. The students find this very pleasant and enjoy receiving tips directly from someone from the work field. Vera is an absolute asset to the support we offer to our students with additional support needs!