“We bring two worlds together,” is how Franklin van den Brand, co-founder and partner of Westmore Technical staffing & recruiting, describes his day-to-day work. The terms “two worlds” not only suggest supply and demand in the market for technical personnel but most importantly, the right match between personal ambition and the job requirements of employers.
Secondment with a permanent relationship as the ultimate goal
Westmore Technical staffing & recruiting works uniquely from other staff mediators. While many of these service providers operate as an employment agency for temporary staffing needs, Westmore aims for the long term. The goal is to transfer the secondment into permanent employment. It is, therefore, essential that there is a perfect click between employer and employee. Finding this match is Westmore’s speciality and the reason for the rapid growth of this young company.
Let’s listen to Franklin van den Brand: “The influx into technology is getting smaller and smaller, and there is a great need for professionals in the hi-tech manufacturing industry. But professional knowledge is not the only criterion for employers. Motivation and things like inquisitiveness and job satisfaction are just as important. That is why we mediate mainly for people who already have a job and are looking for more challenges and opportunities to grow — the kind of motivated professionals on which a company can build the future. We talk to them, find out what ambitions they have, and see which company in our portfolio best suits them. We then second such a professional to the company and provide guidance, periodic monitoring, and training. After a year, the secondment changes into employment with a company directly.”
In practice
Franklin van den Brand himself is originally a welding technician, and all other Westmore employees know the technical manual work from their own experience. “We are all real techies here, with a passion for our field.” This background makes it possible to identify swiftly what a client requires, and that is often a different kind of candidate than he is looking for.
Franklin van den Brand also speaks about the course that a conversation with a client regularly takes: “Say a company is looking for a mechatronics technician level 4. HR draws up a job advertisement, but it does not yield results because, at the same time, there are 80 vacancies on the internet and in the newspaper for such scarce talent. And why would a suitable candidate give up his current job to work elsewhere at the same level? My approach is with a view to the future, you will be better equipped with a level 3 technician who has the ambition to grow to level 4. We provide the training, and after some time, you will have a specialist with the desired knowledge and skills. A permanent employee who is also highly motivated to grow further. You often see the client thinking, yes, there is something in it and considering the possibilities.
We also look at the long-term opportunities with the candidates in our database: “Where do you want to be in five years? What are your ambitions, and how do you want to achieve them?”
Actively involved in creating a new generation of technical craftsmen
The personalized and future-oriented working method of Westmore Technical staffing & recruiting appears to be successful. Since its inception in 2015, the company has grown fast. With offices in Eindhoven and Tilburg — two industrial centers in the Dutch ‘Brainport’ region — and around 100 seconded employees, Westmore is a significant player in the mediation market for hi-tech personnel. The company is also very active in encouraging young people to take up a job in technology. Employees often give guest lectures at schools in the region, and Westmore is a partner of Beroepenavond — a joint initiative of companies and government organizations specifically aimed at providing information about careers in technology.
