After an international career as a project manager, Kees van de Wiel (61) wanted to spend his time after the age of sixty only on “what I like and what is useful to society.” That's how he ended up at DUO for a JOB.
This “intergenerational mentoring program” started in Belgium and has also been running in the Rotterdam region since 2021. It links young people (up to 34 years old) with a migration background to people over 50 with a lot of work and life experience. A mentoring process takes six months, with weekly contact, says director Marije Pronk. “That's usually long enough to really take steps, to give people a kickstart.”
Kees has just completed his fourth process, with the Chinese Wendi Xu (32). “Kees is a great sparring partner,” she says in English. But in her own words, Kees didn't have to do much for her; she quickly found a job “in sales” herself.
For the Syrian Tala (26), the search for work has so far been less successful. She has a bachelor's degree in pharmacy, worked in a pharmacy in Jordan for a few years and would love to do the same here. The Dutch language is a stumbling block, she knows, so she is working hard on that.
'I admire her perseverance, 'says Monique op ten Berg (62), who has had a long career in the pharmaceutical industry herself. Tala was her first mentee a year and a half ago. They are still in touch. Monique: “It clicked and I'm also learning a lot from her: about Islam, her culture, Syria, and also about how difficult it is to find suitable work here as a newcomer.” “It sometimes makes me despondent,” says Tala, “but Monique gives me confidence that it will work out one day.”
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