JINC and EP&C join forces to get young people off to a flying start

EP&C likes to contribute to a better world for future generations. We do so by supporting socially engaged businesses and initiatives. One of these is JINC. Their mission is to give young people a good start in the job market. They do this through a variety of projects aimed at children and young people who have fewer socio-economic opportunities.

"The young people who participate in our projects often have a tiny world. If you grow up in poverty, you will see a lot of unemployment around you and few examples of work. Then you are already 2-0 behind when it comes to choosing the future direction you want to go in," explains Ceres Bekers, project team member at JINC. "We want to offer these young people the same opportunities by connecting them with the business world and role models at EP&C and various other businesses."

Children and young people come into contact with JINC through schools in the The Hague, Delft and Leiden region. In these areas they offer a continuous line from career orientation to career coaching. Ceres explains: "Nowadays schools have less time and space for career counselling. Our projects fit into that gap. We introduce young people to the business world, through shadowing days for example. If you have already visited a couple of companies in your final years of primary school and in the first year of secondary school, it will be easier for you to decide which subject combination to choose. We also teach young people job application skills. When young people know which direction they want to go in, they do not necessarily know how to get there. A volunteer from one of our  collaborating partners can then help them with that. They will tell them what kind of training they need, which skills they still need to learn, and how to go about applying for a job. The projects are very practical."

EP&C also participates in shadowing days, career coaching and 'Tomorrow's boss'. In the latter project student Kian sat in CEO seat for a day last year. Savannah de Waal, a member of EP&C's CSR team, says: "That was great fun! Kian walked around the company wearing a yellow vest for a health and safety check. He also attended a meeting with some Chinese agents who were visiting. He put up a note in reception at the end of the day saying how much fun he had had."

The shadowing days at EP&C have also been a success. Savannah says: "We always make a fun programme and let them do a bit of work. The students have lunch with us at the big table at lunchtime. That's really nice. One of them once told us that he initially thought people would be much more boring here, but that he was pleasantly surprised that this was not the case."

EP&C works with various civil society organisations. Why does JINC fit that bill so well? Savannah explains: "Because JINC contributes to equal opportunities and inclusiveness which fits in well with EP&C's values. And we also have people working here who didn't necessarily think they would end up here and who now fit in great here. It's good that young people know there are several ways to achieve something."

Ceres from JINC added: "We want to show young people a wide range of opportunities and EP&C fits in well with that. In the field of IT, administration, marketing and communications for instance. And then there is a career coach who can help them sometimes even by simply taking the time to listen to them, for instance. For EP&C, it's also nice to meet the workers of the future and learn what's on their minds."