Sven van der Velden has been an intern at Ballast Nedam since the third year of his studies. As they are both so pleased with that, the internship position immediately turns into a permanent job. Sven's career as a BIM modeler has officially begun!
Sven studied HBO Civil Engineering at Avans Hogeschool. A field of study that teaches students to devise and design sustainable solutions in the field of civil engineering. At Ballast Nedam, Sven feels right at home.
Sven, let's go back to the beginning. How did you end up at Ballast Nedam?
"I heard enthusiastic stories from a former classmate about his graduate internship at Ballast Nedam. During a business day at school I also came into contact with Tommie Jacobs, BIM Manager at Ballast Nedam. I then approached him directly and within a week I was allowed an interview. I thought it was a job application, but it went the other way around: they were talking me into starting with them as an intern. Very surprising! But I myself knew immediately; I would be crazy not to choose Ballast Nedam."
So: was the first internship what you expected it to be?
"Yes, definitely. The atmosphere is nice and informal and I wasn't being watched all the time. I was also allowed to work from home occasionally. As long as you have your work in order, it's fine. I really like that freedom. If necessary, I could turn to anyone for help. The team is very nice and so is the work. During my first internship in Nieuwegein, I started working with the BIM library and mainly learned to work in Revit. As I got better and better at using Revit, I started specialising in scripting in Dynamo. I learned more in terms of software than I expected beforehand. And after that first six-month internship in third, I've been walking around here all fourth year as a intern for my BIM minor."
How did that come about: why did you choose Ballast Nedam again?
"As I had already gained some experience here, I was given the opportunity for my minor internship to work on a new project: the improvement of the A27. For me this was a great opportunity, as I lacked some knowledge especially in the technical area. Somewhere else I might have had to make simple models; here I could gain experience on a real project. On top of that, at Ballast Nedam everything is well regulated for trainees, such as internship and travel expenses. So I knocked on Tommie's door again."
In his second internship, Sven wanted to do more with programming. He got that opportunity, too. "I was able to help a modeler on an assignment for noise barriers along the A27. For this we had to generate separate panels over a design line, via a script. That sounds very technical, but what it comes down to is that the elements of such a screen must fit together well. If that is not the case, you get noise pollution or errors in implementation, for example. In this situation, as a BIM modeller, you generate a 3D model in which this kind of situation will be worked out automatically. This way, I contributed to solutions and the optimization of the process. And to saving time, because this is a very efficient way of working."
Tommie, what for you is the added value of interns?
"The recruitment of young people is always good for an organization. And this way younger colleagues also learn what it is like to supervise someone. If a trainee fits well within the team, you may also have someone who can stay, as is the case with Sven. Then you already know what someone is like and you immediately have a colleague that you don't have to train completely.
Through the trainees we also get an insight into what students learn in their education. Sometimes we notice that schools have a way of working that doesn't quite fit in with practice. We work closely with Avans University of Applied Sciences; as Ballast Nedam is already very advanced in the BIM program, one of our employees at Avans even teaches this subject. As a result, the lessons are increasingly in line with reality. We are therefore always pleased when students choose to come to us for an internship. If they stick with us afterwards, that's of course double the profit."
As a supervisor, what do you expect from an intern?
"My style is to give a lot of freedom: you can come up with your own ideas, but make sure you take care of it. You have to be able to deal with that. For example, Sven has been given and seized many opportunities. Just try things, is my approach. I just want someone to raise the alarm in time if something doesn't work out: rather a surprise up front, than afterwards. At least then I can steer things in the right direction. Furthermore, I think it is important that you join the team. The atmosphere is friendly and approachable. And the occasional hearty joke is part of it."
Sven, what else would you like future trainees to know?
"If you find BIM interesting, you're in the right place here anyway. You can build a digital project and we work a lot with scripts; there is really depth to it. Furthermore, Tommie's guidance is very good; he really helped me with my graduation assignment as well. You get the chance to learn and grow. The atmosphere in the team is good, there is a lot of trust and freedom. I have learned a lot here, also from colleagues, and have never gone to work reluctantly. Not to mention, every Friday is French fries day. Still the highlight of the week!"
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