Jeroen Hoencamp, CEO van VodafoneZiggo stond in 2017 voor een volle zaal in Carré. Hij sprak daar met studenten van de Universiteit van Amsterdam (UvA) over de kansen en risico's binnen de markt en de rol die zijn bedrijf daarin speelt. Maar hij stond ook stil bij de kracht van face-to-face ontmoetingen, die soms uit beeld lijkt te verdwijnen.
Elk jaar organiseert de UvA een sessie in het markante Amsterdamse circustheater. De gast is steevast een directeur van een groot bedrijf, die kennis en ervaringen deelt en de interactie opzoekt met de studenten. In voorgaande jaren stonden bijvoorbeeld topmensen van Google, Unilever, Starbucks, L'Oréal, Ahold, ING en VodafoneZiggo op het podium.Nauwe samenwerking
De afdeling Digital van VodafoneZiggo slaat vaak de handen ineen met studenten. Ze werkt nauw samen met de Hogeschool van Amsterdam, de Erasmus Universiteit van Rotterdam en de UvA. Vooral op de vakgebieden ICT, Digital Design, Data en Business. Naast enkele grote projecten begeleidt VodafoneZiggo ook verschillende afstudeeropdrachten.
Tweerichtingsverkeer
Jan van Boesschoten, business architect bij VodafoneZiggo, is enthousiast: "Bij deze samenwerkingen draait het om een tweerichtingsverkeer. We komen niet alleen kennis brengen, maar zeker ook kennis halen. We geloven in co-creatie. Door samen aan de slag te gaan, kom je tot nieuwe inzichten. De studenten zorgen voor een frisse en blik en nieuwe energie, terwijl wij onze ervaring delen en toegang geven tot de modernste technologie. De studenten leren hoe het is om in een groot bedrijf te werken. En wij leren met een andere blik te kijken naar ons dagelijkse werk."
Scrumteams en stembediening
De inhoud van de projecten loopt uiteen. Scrumteams van studenten buigen zich over hedendaagse ICT-uitdagingen. Zij moeten bijvoorbeeld innovatieve apps opleveren. Deelnemers van de opleiding Dutch Design zijn druk met het formuleren van inzichten voor de verre toekomst. "Hun hoofdthema is het besturen van apparaten via de stem", legt Van Boesschoten uit. "Ze onderzoeken hoe je kan omgaan met emoties die vanuit spraak te herkennen zijn. Moet het systeem 's ochtends juist een vrolijk muziekje opzetten als het merkt dat de gebruiker een ochtendhumeur heeft? Of kan het zich beter even stil houden?"
Leren van leefwijzen
"Het is altijd spannend en leerzaam om te kijken hoe studenten met onze probleemstellingen omgaan", zegt Van Boesschoten. "Zij zijn onze klanten van de toekomst. We kunnen veel leren van hun leefwijze en hoe zij met media omgaan. Daarnaast hebben wij heel veel kennis en data over klantprocessen. De studenten ontdekken hoe het werkt binnen een groot bedrijf met miljoenen klanten. Aan de hand van praktijkvoorbeelden leren ze wat er allemaal bij komt kijken om projecten te realiseren en live te krijgen."
Gastcolleges over vraagstukken
De UvA en VodafoneZiggo werken samen bij carrière-evenementen, waar de stage- en carrière mogelijkheden voor studenten binnen het bedrijf worden gepromoot. Daarnaast zijn er jaarlijks meerdere gastcolleges waarin het bedrijf een vraagstuk uit de praktijk voorlegt. De (vaak internationale) masterstudenten beoordelen de casus, bereiden in zes weken tijd een advies voor en presenteren het eindresultaat bij VodafoneZiggo op kantoor.
Verdiepen in strategische uitdagingen
Frank Veldkamp (24) uit Nederland maakte tijdens zijn master Business Administration aan de UvA kennis met VodafoneZiggo, toen hij meedeed aan zo'n studieopdracht. "Als Ajax-fan en Formule 1-liefhebber was ik sowieso al enthousiast over Ziggo, maar ik kende ook Vodafone als een sterk merk. De samenvoeging van deze twee bedrijven is een interessante case om over mee te denken. We verdiepten ons in de strategische uitdagingen die kwamen kijken bij de joint venture. Het feit dat leden van het directieteam aanwezig waren om met ons te sparren, was ontzettend waardevol. Meestal ben je als student vooral bezig met theorie en hypothese, nu sprongen we meteen in het diepe door mee te denken op strategisch niveau."
Ben jij benieuwd naar de mogelijkheden als student of starter bij VodafoneZiggo?
Bekijk de mogelijkheden.
Vragen? Neem contact op met Ankie Verbeek via ankie.verbeek@vodafoneziggo.com of +31 6 11 35 98 89.
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ENGLISH VERSION:
Students get to work on challenging cases
Keynote speakers at Amsterdam's Carré theatre, special guest lectures, study assignments and company visits: VodafoneZiggo is keen to give students a taste of commercial practice and the chance to provide input on strategic issues, and is working closely on this with universities and colleges of higher education.
In 2017, VodafoneZiggo CEO Jeroen Hoencamp addressed a capacity audience in Amsterdam's Carré theatre. He spoke to students from the University of Amsterdam (UvA) about the opportunities and threats in the market and how his company responds to them. He also discussed the power of face-to-face meetings, which sometimes seem to be overlooked.
Each year, UvA holds a session for its students in Amsterdam's impressive 'circus theatre'. The guest speakers are all CEOs of major companies, who share their knowledge and experience and encourage the students to ask questions and engage in discussion. Past speakers include senior directors of Google, Unilever, Starbucks, L'Oréal, Ahold, ING and VodafoneZiggo.
Joining forces
VodafoneZiggo's Digital department often joins forces with students, working closely with Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, Rotterdam's Erasmus University and UvA. Specific focus areas include ICT, Digital Design, Data and Business. In addition to one or two large projects, VodafoneZiggo also supervises graduation projects.
Two-way street
Jan van Boesschoten, business architect at VodafoneZiggo, is delighted with the initiative: "These partnerships are a two-way street. As well as bringing our own knowledge to the party, we're also here to gather it. We believe in co-creation. Joining forces gives you new insights. The students bring a fresh take on things and new energy, while we offer the benefit of our experience and access to the latest technology. The students can thus find out what it's like to work in a large company. And we learn to look at our own day-to-day work with new eyes."
Scrum teams and voice activation
The content of the projects is wide-ranging, with scrum teams of students examining various contemporary ICT challenges. One of their assignments is to deliver innovative apps. Students on the Dutch Design course, for example, are busy formulating insights for the distant future. "The main subject of their research is to refine voice-activated equipment," Van Boesschoten explains. "They're considering how devices might respond to the emotion that is detectable in the operator's voice. For instance, should the system play cheerful music in the morning if it 'notices' that the user is in a bad mood? Or would it be better to stay silent?"
Learning from lifestyles
"It's always exciting and instructive to see how students approach the problems we give them," Van Boesschoten adds. "After all, they're our future customers. We can learn a lot from the way they live and how they use media. For our part, we have a lot of knowledge and data about customer processes. The students can discover how things are done in a leading company with millions of customers. Based on practical examples, they find out what's involved in realising projects and getting them to go live."
Guest lectures on specific topics
UvA and VodafoneZiggo jointly organise career events promoting internship and career opportunities for students within the company. They also arrange annual guest lectures in which VodafoneZiggo shares various methodologies and practical cases with students. The (often international) Master's students analyse the cases, prepare their recommendations within the next six weeks and finally present their results at VodafoneZiggo's head office.
Immersion in strategic challenges
Frank Veldkamp (24) from the Netherlands was introduced to VodafoneZiggo when he took part in a study assignment during his Master's in Business Administration at UvA. "As a fan of the Ajax football team and Formula 1, I was already enthusiastic about Ziggo, and familiar with Vodafone as a strong brand. The merger of these two companies was an interesting case to work on. Our assignment was to analyse the strategic challenges involved in the joint venture. The fact that members of the executive board were present to knock ideas about with us was extremely valuable. As a student, you're usually limited to working with theories and hypotheses, whereas now we were thrown in the deep end by having to think at the strategic level alongside these professionals."
Fascinating variables
Annica Marais (24) from South Africa studies Industrial Engineering in Stellenbosch. In 2017 she temporarily moved to Amsterdam to attend courses in Economics at UvA. "This new field in study has allowed me to view the world from a different perspective. It was very interesting to get to know the telecom business by participating in the VodafoneZiggo case. The number of stakeholders to consider, made it a very challenging assignment. I was fascinated by the number of variables that have impact on this dynamic industry. Working on the case, I've learned that structure and purpose are very important to keep in mind constantly. Only then you can show what makes you stand out, compared to your competitors."
Alexander Kramer (22), business professional and MSc student at the UvA, also participated in the VodafoneZiggo case. "Designing an all-encompassing strategy for VodafoneZiggo is a highly complex endeavour. During this course we have learned to process a big amount of complex data, analyse it properly and come up with a solid strategy that is not too broad nor too specific. Besides that, designing a strategy and presenting it in front of the actual management board was a valuable experience that I will take with me in my future career."
Yinling Guan (27), MSc student Business Administration in Marketing: "The telecom industry uses advanced and important technologies to change people's daily lives and to enable people staying connected in an increasingly efficient way with smart living. To spread smart telecommunication to the mass market for an affordable price, is a big cvhallenge. This requires the company to think about the balance of profit, technology investment, and the resistance of audiences on new technologies. It was great to be a part of this thinking process about their strategy."
Thomas Valassis (26), Msc student International Management: "I believe that in the recent years this industry has experienced many changes. Changes that I suppose might keep coming at an increasing pace whether with new products, new technologies or new competition. Just as how apps like Netflix were an unexpected competition. This industry, thus, requires to always stay sharp and up-to-date with the technological changes, the competition's strategy and arrival as well as the customers wants and needs. To me, the main opportunity for VodafoneZiggo would be to take advantage of its ability to be present at all time in their customer's life. Through mobile phone, the internet or TV, VodafoneZiggo can engage its customers at all time."
If you'd like to know more about the opportunities for working with VodafoneZiggo as a student or trainee, please go to: https://werkenbij.vodafone.nl/student-en-trainee/
Any questions? Please contact Ankie Verbeek at ankie.verbeek@vodafoneziggo.com or call +31 6 11 35 98 89.