A visit from the Minister
On 3 November, we had the honour of welcoming Minister Karien van Gennip (Social Affairs and Employment) and Jacco Vonhof, chairman of MKB-Nederland. Bos Nieuwerkerk and Heat Matrix were selected as the starting point for the lead-up to the Dutch Entrepreneur Day—an honour we’re proud of.
Ministerial visit
The visit began with a meaningful conversation about our companies and our people. It came as no surprise to the minister and the chairman that we, too, are dealing with a shortage of technical specialists. Together, we discussed the actions we’ve already taken to address this issue:
- Actively recruiting technicians by showing the unique strength of our company
- Building strong relationships with technical schools (both secondary and higher education)
- Working with recruiters who focus on talented status holders and people on social assistance
The minister also advised us to consider reaching out to asylum centres to connect with asylum seekers with a technical background.
“Thank you—companies like yours are the backbone of our economy and society”
After the roundtable, the minister engaged in open conversations with our employees. These were not only personal but also technically in-depth—no surprise, given that Van Gennip holds a degree in Applied Physics from TU Delft. The visit concluded with a heartfelt compliment from the minister: “Thank you—companies like yours are the backbone of our economy and society.”
