Seven new ‘BBL’ students for Damen Naval

Last month, Damen Naval welcomed seven new ‘BBL’ students. The students are following a secondary vocational training (Beroeps Begeleidende Leerweg, BBL in Dutch) course at local college Scalda. After their three or four years of training, they will be able to work as a fully qualified welder or construction worker. This is the first time in over ten years that students are being trained at the Damen Naval yard.

Foreman Ramon van de Zande supervises the students together with fellow foreman Cees van Cadsand. He is happy about the new energy that the seven students bring with them. “It’s great to have these guys at the yard. I see that many colleagues like the fact that we are investing in young talent once again,” says Ramon. “I was one of the last to attend technical college, but I have been working here for almost 25 years now. In recent years there has been little rejuvenation at the yard, and we have seen the average age increase. The advantage of the BBL students is that we can really train our own talent and hopefully have them stay with us for a long time.”

Cees is also pleased with the new influx of young talent. “When I came from technical college 40 years ago, there were a hundred students here. It is important to keep renewing and rejuvenating. It gives us the opportunity to pass on our knowledge.”

During their studies, secondary level students can select either a BOL (educational training) or a BBL (supervised learning) trajectory. With the first option, the student is still a real student who participates in an internship with one or more companies during his or her studies. BBL students, on the other hand, have an employment contract with an employer. In their first year of study, students work for their employer for one day and receive vocational education for three days. They also follow theory lessons at school one day a week. During the course of the training, the students work more and more days at their apprenticeship company.

Jonas van der Heijden, 20 years old, is studying to be a construction worker
“I finished secondary school and have tried other courses, but I realised that practical training was the best way for me to learn. At first, I wanted to join the navy, but I didn’t pass the medical exam, so a company that makes naval ships is a good second option. I really enjoy it and it’s exactly what I expected.”

Youri van Putten, 16, is training to be a welder
“I knew Damen Naval, so when I needed a company for the BBL apprenticeship, I thought it would be nice to work here. Welding is a nice profession. Not everyone can do it well; you have got to know your equipment well. But if you can weld well, you can deliver a beautiful product. I don’t really care what kind of project I get to work on, I just want to do a good job.”

Hubert Dametka, 21 years old, studying to be a construction worker
“I was working at a construction company in Middelburg when my stepfather, who works at Amels, suggested that I take a look at Damen Naval. I really like engineering, I like tinkering with everything from cars to scooters, but building ships is of course something completely different from what I’m used to. I’m enjoying it very much, although I might want to work for Amels in the future.”

Jurgen Dronkers, 16, is training to be a welder
“I wanted to follow a BBL path and I went to my teacher to see if he knew of any good workplaces. When I talked about Damen Naval at home, it turned out that my father used to work there too. He was a welder for 25 years and said that there is always plenty of work and that you can choose from many different projects. So far I like it here.”

Coen Thiellier, 19, training to be a welder
“I’m already in my third year of BBL training, but I didn’t like it at my previous workplace. My teachers thought that Damen Naval would be a good fit for me and I’m enjoying myself here. I now work four days at the shipyard and go to school one day. It’s a bit quiet in production right now, but the first impressions are good. Shipbuilding is a beautiful thing, so I’m looking forward to contributing to it.”

Martyllo Henriquez, 17 years old, is following the construction worker course
“I had stopped my schooling for a while until I came across this course. It appealed to me because I only go to school one day and the rest is practical training. I really like the work we get to do here and, so far, I’m enjoying it. I hope to be able to continue working here after I finish my training and to develop further.”