“Very interesting and inspirational,” “It is great that Tio organises a Career Event like this,” “This will definitely come in handy during your studies;” students are positive about the Tio Career Event that was held last Wednesday at the NBC convention centre in Nieuwegein. During this event, higher and vocational education students from the hotel, events, tourism, marketing and business programmes got inspired by attending guest lectures from a number of interesting speakers. They also got a chance to meet with (international) internship organisations.
Prominent guest lecturers
The event included guest lectures by ‘Choco Evangelist’ Ynzo van Zanten, 3 Op Reis presenter Maurice Lede, marketing guru Jos Burgers and entrepreneur Marco Aarnink. Of course, there was also the annual College Tour hosted by Twan Huys. This time, director of the Pinkpop festival Jan Smeets made a guest appearance.
Tourism student Emea is excited: “What I remember most about Maurice Lede’s lecture is that he told us to never give up and always believe in ourselves. For me, that was the most inspirational lecture of the day. It was very interesting and educational and it proves once again how many doors this study programme can open for you.” Brian, business student at Tio, was impressed by the College Tour with Jan Smeets: “It was very interesting and inspirational. I love the fact that he still has both feet on the ground. He has so many stories to tell. It was great to hear about what goes on behind the scenes of such a major festival.”
The guest lecture about Tony’s Chocolonely was also quite popular: “We loved Ynzo van Zanten’s lecture about Tony’s Chocolonely. It was fascinating to hear the story behind such a well-known and popular company and learn more about its origins,” say students Luna, Femke and Fleur.
What do the businesses have to say?
Another part of the Career Event is the Career Expo, during which circa 150 businesses present themselves and students can find internship positions. TUI’s Kim van de Koevering is positive about the Expo: “This was our first time attending the Career Event, but it has left a great impression. It is a major event and I have already spoken to some great students!”
Wille Teixeira of ING is similarly impressed: “The Career Event was set up in a professional manner. Based on our past experience with similar events, that is certainly not always the case.”
What do they think about Tio’s interns? KLM’s Ethel van Blarcum: “We often work with interns from Tio and always enjoy the experience. We even brought our Tio intern along today!”
Career Event
In addition to attending the guest lectures and visiting the Career Expo, there was plenty more to do for students: they could have their CV assessed and have a professional LinkedIn profile picture taken in the Cereer Lounge, attend business presentations and go on speed dates with various companies. What better way to kickstart your professional career?