Engineering your career
If you want to find out what working at VIRO is really like, just ask our colleagues. They will probably use words like: dynamic, varied, collaborative, human, high-tech, with freedom, responsibility, fairness, and a good atmosphere. And that’s the kind of company we want to be.
We strive to be the best employer we can be, where talented engineers can develop, feel comfortable, and be appreciated. We draw on the following values to guide this:
A people company
We are all colleagues. We help each other and our customers. The enthusiasm that we share is what makes our workplace a happier environment.
Motivation
We take pleasure in our work and in collaborating. It motivates us and inspires us to surprise our customers in a positive way.
Performance
We believe that technology can always be improved. VIRO focuses on progress. We explore the limits of what is possible. That’s how we make the difference for our customers.
Whether your career is just beginning or you already have experience under your belt, if you believe your own development is important, then we are the right fit. Our own VIRO Academy was created to help our new and existing colleagues to grow. A traineeship for life, as we call it. This isn’t just about your growth, but about working together. You are in the driving seat and we are the vehicle. And you’re the one who decides which road to take.
To the VIRO Academy
My name is Bram Boerboom, and I study Mechanical Engineering at HAN University of Applied Sciences in Arnhem. I’ve always been interested in technology. That’s why I wanted to follow a broad technical study programme, so that I could have more job opportunities later on. I was looking at graduation internships for my final semester. Through HAN’s career services, I saw that the Arnhem office had a number of open projects that appealed to me. After visiting the website, my impression of VIRO was so positive that I immediately contacted them for more information.
I first heard about VIRO at a company lunch, but I only knew it as an engineering firm. One of the job sites I used posted a vacancy for a FEM analyst – precisely the field I wanted to work in. The head of the Engineering Analysis department told me about the different projects and opportunities for me. What stood out to me most were the relaxed working style and the opportunities to work very independently. I like awesome, bigger-is-better, challenging engineering projects, like roller coasters, dikes, the Palm Islands in Dubai, and mega structures. These are obviously world-famous projects, but VIRO’s presentation also showed a couple of examples that got me excited.
In the four and a half years that I've been at VIRO's Mechanical Engineering department in the Echt office, I've worked for three different companies in the high-tech industry on five different projects and I followed ten courses. Work here is never a grind – it's always changing, and I keep on learning. I'm gaining a wide range of experience both because of the range of projects and the different people I work with.
Industrial Design primarily focuses on the consumer market and on the aesthetic part of a product. It doesn't really focus on the technology behind that. However, the mechanical aspects and such interest me. I was one year into my study programme when I realised this. I then decided to finish my studies while also taking on board as much as possible on the topic of mechanics during my internships and graduation. In my search for a suitable graduation assignment, I found VIRO in Arnhem.
From a young age, I have been busy with building things, and this interest developed further as the years went on. To expand on this interest with knowledge, I decided to study Mechanical engineering. I haven't regretted it for a moment. After my study programme, my current colleague told me that VIRO was looking for mechanical engineers. After a series of interviews, I set to work here. Since then, I have completed a number of projects and I am curious about what else the future holds.
During my bachelor Industrial Design at the University of Twente I realised that the technical side of the field really interested me and I decided to do more with this. The University of Luxembourg’s Sustainable Product study programme was the perfect follow-up and is similar to Mechanical Engineering in the Netherlands. A staffing agency later contacted me and introduced me to the VIRO office in Arnhem. I was immediately interested, as VIRO works on a wide range of projects and is involved in many different types of activities. The great workplace atmosphere also really appealed to me.
I ended up at VIRO after attending an introductory day for companies and students, which was organised by Hanze University of Applied Sciences. Here I got talking to Klaas Krol, Group Leader in the Mechanical Engineering department at VIRO Groningen. I was really interested because as a starter at VIRO, you get involved in a lot of different activities so you can learn a lot. I had only graduated two days previously when Klaas called me to invite me in for a job interview. After two enjoyable interviews, I could start my adventure at VIRO.
After my work placements for my higher professional education course in Mechanical Engineering at HAN University of Applied Sciences I discovered that I preferred working on more diverse projects. While searching for a graduation project, VIRO soon caught my attention. Because of the positive things a fellow student had told me, I decided to get in touch with them, and soon I was invited to attend an introductory meeting. Once VIRO had set out my assignment, my mind was quickly made up. I started a fantastic project that involved setting out the basis for a new kind of pendulum-style amusement ride. During this period I found VIRO to be a no-nonsense company with great colleagues and a pleasant workplace atmosphere. After obtaining my diploma, I was faced with another easy choice; I started working at VIRO as a TPD Engineer.
During the third year of my mechanical engineering studies at HAN University of Applied Sciences in Arnhem, I completed a work placement at VIRO’s Arnhem branch. I chose VIRO because it is an engineering firm that offers a broad range of services and has huge wealth of knowledge and expertise in Product Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Industrial Projects. I became aware of VIRO during the HAN University of Applied Sciences job fair, where they showed a number of projects from their different fields of expertise.
On 1 January 2020, VIRO opened an additional office in Zwolle, which will help the company towards its goal of complete national coverage. The opening of a new office in Zwolle takes VIRO to seven offices in the Netherlands.
Martin Dibbets, Commercial Director for the Netherlands, ‘The Zwolle region is home to many industrial enterprises. We had been serving the region from our offices in Hengelo and Groningen, but we realised that having a local office would be more beneficial for our clients and colleagues. In terms of the labour market too, the office in Zwolle offers good prospects. With institutions such as Hogeschool Windesheim just around the corner, we can offer career beginners and students some great career opportunities.’
The Zwolle branch will initially focus on activities relating to Mechanical Engineering, Software & Control, and Electrical & Instrumentation. Dirk van der Bijl is responsible for office management. The premises are located at Dokter Klinkertweg 1.
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