The orientation program gave me the knowledge and contacts to make the right study choice.

Study ICT or Mechatronics? For Tom de Rooij (18), after his HAVO, this was the question he couldn't figure out. It was certain that he wanted to do something with technology. But technology is broad. When his parents online the Engineering and Technology orientation program When they came across something from Summa, Tom was also immediately enthusiastic. “I thought: maybe I’ll come across something I hadn’t seen yet.”

The orientation program offered Tom what he needed: time and space to discover which direction he wanted to take. For six months, he attended various courses two days a week, ranging from Mechatronics and Electrical Engineering to ICT. One day a week was dedicated to personal development, and on Thursdays, company visits to major technical players like SPIE were on the schedule. “I really got a look behind the scenes. In the meantime, I also obtained certificates that you need to be allowed to work at those different places in the first place, such as a VCA.”

The mechatronics workshop at the Brainport Industrial Campus stood out head and shoulders above the rest for Tom. Placing gears with millimeter precision, solving a puzzle. “At moments like that, you’re not in your head but working with your hands. That’s what I like about it. And you’re building something so you see immediate results. I just enjoy the challenge of making that happen! I felt that way even back when I was playing with technical Lego.”

A conversation with ICT teacher Joan ultimately tipped the scales. “At its core, ICT is more theoretical and involves working independently behind a screen. I prefer working with my hands.” Added to that was the fact that Tom noticed the basic subjects came easily to him during the MBO (vocational) level of the orientation program. He ultimately chose a higher professional education program: Mechatronics at Fontys. “It is a program that combines electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, and ICT. It is incredibly interesting; you are essentially taking three courses at the same time. So I can go in any direction later on.”

Tom recommends the program to others, even if they are heading towards higher professional education. “You gain insight into how the work is done in practice. Soon I will be making drawings for the people who assemble it, so it helps that I understand what they are working on. The program gave me the knowledge and contacts I needed to make the right choice of study. I am happy about that.”

Summa’s Engineering and Technology Orientation Program helps young people who are still unsure about their choice of study to gain targeted exposure to the breadth of engineering, so that they can choose a further education program with greater confidence, whether at MBO or HBO level.

These activities are made possible in part by the National Microchip Talent Strengthening Plan. In the Brainport region, TU/e, Fontys, Summa, Ter AA Brainport Development, and the covenant partners are joining forces with the government and the business community under the name Talent voor Semicon. Together, we are training thousands of new people for the microchip industry up to and including 2030. In doing so, we strengthen the international competitive position of the Netherlands and the Brainport region as a high-tech region.