Women for Women
Women for Women — three words that represent a simple but powerful idea!
The Women for Women program is a joint initiative between Holland Expat Center South's Living In Program and the Expat Spouses Initiative. The program is about creating value, engagement, working together, and professional growth. Its aim is to create a more inclusive region, where every possible talent feels at home, and every effort made in contributing to this project is greatly appreciated.
How it Works
The program introduces approximately 20 highly skilled international talents to 20 locally connected Ambassadors, who serve as a springboard for jumpstarting the talent's career. The program aims to asssisting the talents in reflecting on their ambitions, as well as their new living situtation in Eindhoven.
Talents with similar challenges are organized in tribes. In these tribes talents follow a 3 month trajectory with many aspects of Dutch working culture and working environment. With the help of their peers and their ambassador they navigate into the Dutch labour market. In the conversation with her ambassador the talent is confronted with the gaps she faces towards the labour market. In many cases talents are able to shadow the ambassador during the program or get otherwise connected to the working environment.
How talents are chosen
Talents are screened and selected from the Expat Spouses Initiative's talent pool. In the 3 months of the program, there are four interventions created.
The Opening Event: The matching takes place, based on a thorough near perfect candidate wishlist of each ambassador.
The Next Two Interventions: The talents' networks are strengthened, and meaningful conversations are encouraged with various ambassadors, and the assigned mentor.
The Closing Event: HR officers are invited to the event that focuses on the value of a more inclusive and diverse region and working environment. The talent pool of spouses are featured in the event, which often leads to new conversations with employers and an increased awareness on the importance of family onboarding and dual career focus.
Results of the program
86% of Women for Women talent got successfully connected to their professional goals in the Netherlands, during or within two months of the program completion [Editions VI & VII ].
For more information about the Women for Women Program, contact Holland Expat Center South's Living In Coordinator: Sandy Barkowsky.