Former Discover Trainee Technology
Joined VodafoneZiggo as a Discover Trainee Technology in April 2022
Is now Product Portfolio Lead IoT, Cloud & Digital Solutions
Works in Utrecht and from home
Lives in The Hague
"A challenging, 18-month journey, together with an enthusiastic party of young professionals." That's how Gijs Gillissen describes his Discover Traineeship Technology. He talks about the ins and outs of his traineeship and why he feels right at home at VodafoneZiggo.
Gijs is an Industrial Designer. He studied for five years at Delft University of Technology and during that time launched his own start-up to gain some experience. "It was all very interesting, but I wanted to discover more," he admits. When a friend told him about the Discover Traineeship at VodafoneZiggo, it took his interest immediately. "I saw ample opportunity in the Discover Traineeship to develop myself, both professionally and personally."
Gijs started by working on two technology projects, one of which was at Design & Deploy Apps: the design of an automation process. "The people here really take note of your interests before you're given an assignment. I had said that I have an analytic mind and that I like working with complex systems. And there I was, doing precisely what I wanted to do."
For the second project of your traineeship, each trainee switches to a work field outside their comfort zone. Gijs took on the challenge in B2B. His goal was to make recommendations on how we could improve our collaboration with IoT solution partners. "I got to collaborate with so many different stakeholders, which was both challenging and exciting. And I enjoyed bringing structure to all those different perspectives. My background as a designer helped me make complex topics simple. I also needed to be creative, which I really liked."
Exponential growth was what Gijs seeked. "Personal development was my number one priority back then. I was 25 when I started as a Discover trainee and it was the perfect time to reflect upon who I am. How do I respond to difficult or emotional situations at work? What are my strengths and weaknesses? And set myself some concrete goals, too. I wanted to improve my presentation skills and ability to take the lead. Above all, I needed to learn how to divide end goals into bite-sized concrete goals. That was the real challenge for me."
Gijs and the other trainees of his intake gave each other a lot of support. "You’re all in the same boat together, go to the same social events, on the same trips and attended the same development days." During those days, trainees stay in a hotel and the focus is on personal growth: that’s when you really get know each other.
Gijs is very satisfied with his time as a trainee. "I took everything I was given by the horns so I could discover as much about it as possible. The whole traineeship was a great challenge and everything was so well put together. Within my projects, I was treated as a full team member and got every freedom to seize opportunities. And if I got in over my head, there were always a safety net: my buddy. That’s a former trainee who has been assigned to be my sparring partner. He always gave me lots of new energy and ideas."
After his second project, Gijs already had a pretty good idea about the path he'd like to take. "I wanted to go for a combination of Business and Technology. Something I could find within B2B." Gijs was lucky after his traineeship. He took the lead to shape his own position within the IoT team. Next to his position, Gijs stepped up to guide a new trainee on a project similar to the one he worked on during his own out-of-comfort. "It was a completely new experience. I really enjoyed working with someone how had a fresh perspective on the topic. My goal as a Project Manager was to share my knowledge as well as to guide him in his personal development. I tried to come up with the best questions to guide him without giving him all the answers. I learned a lot, and it was great to be a part of a trainee’s journey!"
