Working conditions

An important factor to attract (female and non-Dutch) engineering students are the working conditions. There are three elements in particular engineering students are attracted by.

First, the engineering students would appreciate it if the company has the right working facilities. The exact working facilities they think are important vary from a working space, chairs and desks to good equipment, like computers and machines.

“…the equipment and everything you use for work they have to offer. I mean the employee shouldn't have to bring anything along to be able to work” (11).

Second, the policy on transportation could be an attraction driver to engineering students. They would like to see this organized, varying from bus, bike and/or car facilities, to a kilometer allowance.

“Als ik ver weg woon: een vergoeding voor vervoer. Of anders: een goede fiets” (17).

(If I live far away: a compensation for transport. Otherwise: a good bike)

“Bus facilities, or bike facilities, something that you're not forced to handle that problem on your own. If you are a foreigner especially it's more difficult. Not all foreigners can ride a bike, first of all. Secondly sometimes it's raining, and some people don't like to bike when it's raining, so you need a bus or a car or something” (5).

Third, they look to the salary offered by the company as well.

“And of course how much they are going to pay you for the job” (12).

The amount of salary the engineering students would like to earn differs among the respondents. It varies from enough to make a living, to their level/value, to just ‘well-paid’.

“Yeah, you know, we work to get some money to make some living” (16). “A salary which is not too low, corresponding to your level” (4).

“I would like a good pay” …“Well, I need a good life, and you usually don't get things for free, and if I need to afford a good life style, then I need money for that. The only way I can do that is to my job. So if I'm paid for what I work for, I get that satisfaction, and it would be good” (15).

4.1.7 Non-Dutch respondents

The non-Dutch respondents have some specific factors that attract them to a company. They think that specific characteristics are important in an international company. Equal treatment and support for foreigners are important to them as well.

Recruitment

Next to the general opinion of the engineering students that it is important to have the opportunity to learn from other cultures, the non-Dutch students think that a diverse cultural workforce and English as the written and spoken language in the company are important as well in an international company. This would create an open environment, in which the students can feel comfortable. English should be the language spoken and written in the company, mostly because they do not want to learn or have not learned yet the local language. If English is not the official company language, spoken and written, they think this can lead to loneliness and communication problems.

“Just to hear people in the hallway talking English, so you see you are not alone. You always feel better as a foreigner”… “If you cannot talk with someone and you don’t understand him, you cannot exchange, you cannot learn his culture, and you will just have misunderstandings, which can lead to very bad stuff” (1).

Having an international workforce decreases the feeling of loneliness for non-Dutch students as well.

“Well, like the experience to communicate, to interact with many other people from other countries, so not only the people in that country I think. So, the various nationalities, experience the cultures, I can learn a lot from that” (16).

“I would suggest, if the native people show interest in learning the other countries' culture, the others would take equal interest in learning the native culture as well. So that would be quite a good blend. Even it would be something like unity in diversity, like there are a lot of people but still they are all together” (15).

Equal treatment

The students think that there is no difference between different nationalities. The non-Dutch students would not like to be treated differently, or be discriminated.

“Again they are also people, okay they are foreigners and they might have a distinct color, they might have not the same religion, but you still have to treat them like people, not as foreigners” (5).

“… but there should be the same policy for the Dutch people that apply and for the foreign people. If they don't have the same policy, they, if I apply and a Dutch guy also, and they

prefer to hire the Dutch guy, that means the company is not an international company. They prefer their local people” (10).

Support for foreigners

A lot of the non-Dutch engineering students could be attracted by a company if the company offered support, because they do not know anything yet about policies, places, etcetera. There are three elements they would like to be supported in.

First, they appreciate arranged accommodation by the company.

“... yeah, maybe the first time the foreigner wants to come, start working, they need help to find a house. It was difficult for me, so... Yeah, it can also motivate. Because if they say 'the company can arrange everything for me', and the first month I go there I can feel comfortable. So it's good for the people, foreign people, when you come immediately from another country” (10).

Second, they would like support to visit their family once in a while and support for their family to visit them or living with them.

“…one would be holiday days, so I can go meet up with my family and my friends. And if I'm not able to go there, maybe the company can arrange for my family to come here and see me” (15).

“…dat je dan de mogelijkheid krijgt om een week vrijaf te krijgen om even op en neer te gaan naar huis. Dat is wel zeer concreet. Dat is wel heel specifiek voor de situatie, waarin mensen uit het buitenland komen. Dat je bijvoorbeeld ook gemakkelijk je gezin hierheen krijgt” (2).

(…that you get the opportunity to get a week off to go home and come back. That is quite concrete. That is very specific for the situation, where people come from abroad. For example that you can get your family here easily)

Third, they would like to have help with documents, like a visa, a work permit, a bank account, a Social Service Number, and moving forms.

“Yes, I mean they have to give some help like, knowing what do for living in another country, because things are not the same, the way of life is not the same. For example, here you need your BSN number. When you are a foreigner you don’t know you have to go to the city hall to get this number. So when you are in a company completely new they should help you what to arrange” (4).

4.1.8 Female respondents

The female respondents have some specific factors that attracts them to a company regarding equal treatment.

Equal treatment

The engineering students think that there is no difference between males and females. The female students would not like to be treated differently.

“…as far I'm concerned we are all equal, so we shouldn't really put effort into getting more women” (5).

“Ik denk dus, dat ik er zelf niet over nadenk, wat ik zelf specifiek anders zou willen, omdat ik niet zo anders behandeld wil worden” (13).

(So I think, I do not think about it myself, what I would want specifically different, because I do not want to be treated so different)

More specifically equality in salary is a very important factor.

“Ik wil zeker niet minder verdienen dan een man op dezelfde positie. Want je hoort wel vaker dat vrouwen minder verdienen dan mannen in die positie als ze hetzelfde werk doen” … “En dan gaat het eigenlijk om het principe dat ik minder verdien dan wanneer ik een man was geweest, die aangenomen zijn voor dezelfde functie. Dan zou ik mij heel erg gekwetst voelen in mijn…en ook wel een beetje boos in mijn… in wat ik waard ben, want dat heeft er niks mee te maken of ik man of vrouw ben. Dat gaat dan wel diep en dat je dan niet aangenomen wilt worden, omdat je een vrouw bent. Dus ook niet anders betaald wilt krijgen” (7).

(I definitely do not want to earn less than a man on the same position. Because you hear often that females earn less than men in that position doing the same job … And it actually goes about the principle that I earn less than when I would have been a man, which would be hired for the same position. Then I would feel hurt in my, and also a bit angry in my, in what I am worth, because that has nothing to do with the fact if I am a man or a woman. That goes really deep and that you than do not want to be hired, because you are a woman. So not want to be paid differently)

Next to that, female respondents do not want to be hired because of their gender; they want to be hired because of their skills.

“The important thing is like, I want them to see I have the same potential. If for example because they have some kind of policy in the company also, it's good for females, but they just want to hire females to get a bit balance. But I don't want that. I want someone to hire me because I can work well for them, I have a good potential to work, I could be useful” (10). 4.1.9 Summary

The engineering students can be reached via university. The students would like the companies to visit the campuses, also abroad, so they can be attracted by campus recruitment. The career orientation days are indicated as effective, and lectures and company visits, organized via the connection with a professor or a study association as well. The engineering students can also be reached via the company website. At this website most of them look at what the company does and what their vacancies are. These vacancies should include a clear job profile and vacancy description. Most engineering students are looking for a well-known and international company. There should be the opportunity to learn from other cultures. What the company’s core business is, is as well important to the engineering students.

The engineering students look for a company that offers the right working facilities, transportation facilities or compensation and a salary that is enough to make a living, corresponds to their level/value, or should be just ‘good’.

The students are also looking for a good, open atmosphere in the working environment. Nice, social colleagues very important to them. If they experience this kind of working environment during an interview, a company visit or hear stories about the working environment of employees working at that company, they can be attracted.

The students can as well be attracted by a flexibility in working hours and a flexible leave policy. Some of the students would like the flexibility in working hours to consist of the possibility of classifying the working hours per day or week themselves, and other students would like this to consist of having the possibility to work one week more and the other week less.

Next to that engineering students are attracted by an interesting, dynamic, challenging job, which is related to their study or expertise at a company that offers the right working facilities, transportation facilities or compensation and a salary that is enough to make a living, corresponds to their level/value, or should be just ‘good’.

The non-Dutch engineering students are a part of the above looking for an international company in which the written and spoken language is English. Having an international workforce makes the non- Dutch students feel more comfortable. The engineering students do not want to be treated differently on base of their nationality, because they do not think there is a difference between people with different nationalities. Next to that, the non-Dutch engineering students would like to get support from the company in accommodation, for visiting their family, for their family visiting or living with them and with the documents needed.

The female students do not want to be treated differently on base of their gender. They do not think there is a difference between females and males. The females want to earn the same money as males in the same position, and would not like to be hired because they are female, but they want to be valued by their skills.

4.2

Retention

Retention is the ability to keep or continue having something (Cambridge Dictionaries, 2013). Drivers that have most influence on the retention of engineering students are described in this paragraph. First the subjects important for the retention of the engineering students in general are discussed. These subjects are equal treatment (Subparagraph 4.2.1), work-life balance (Subparagraph 4.2.2), training and development (Subparagraph 4.2.3), job (Subparagraph 4.2.4), and the working atmosphere (Subparagraph 4.2.5). Subsequently the specific factors important to a specific group, respectively the groups of the non-Dutch respondents and the female respondents, are discussed in Subparagraph 4.2.6 and 4.2.7. In the last subparagraph the results of the attraction of the engineering students are summarized.

In general not much difference is found in the important factors to attract and retain engineering students.

4.2.1 Equal treatment

Equal treatment is important to the non-Dutch and female engineering students.

The different specific needs of the non-Dutch students and female students are described respectively in Paragraph 4.2.6 and 4.2.7.

4.2.2 Work-life balance

An element of this subject is found important to non-Dutch engineering students regarding to vacation. Therefore it will be further described in Paragraph 4.2.6.

4.2.3 Training & Development

Engineering students can be retained by giving them growth, development and promotion opportunities. Most of the students want to keep learning, to be challenged by growth and promotion opportunities.

“Dat je gedurende je werk toch merkt, ik kan hier nog heel veel verbeteren, ik kan hier nog heel veel verbeteren. En als dan… Waardoor ik echt bij een bedrijf zou blijven, denk ik, toch wel puur , hoe ze helpen in de ontwikkeling” (8).

(That during your job you notice, I can improve here a lot, I can improve here a lot. And then if… Why I would really stay with a company, I think, undoubtedly, how they help your develop)

“… give me the opportunity to show myself. To progress in my job” (10).

“Because it makes you more connected to work, because you feel that... you get what you deserve. And it motivates you to work more in my opinion. I think everything is happy when they get more money, so this is one of the things a company should do, to the employees who deserve it. If you work harder than your other colleagues, there should be some difference between you and him, and you also should see that they are aware of it, so promotion is one of the crucial things” (14).

This will keep them challenged and interested.