“There is such a disconnect between talented people looking for work and the industries that need that talent.”

180 Kingsday
Nov 6 · 5 min read

Sander Volten, CEO at 180 Kingsday, recently spoke to Adformatie about the agency’s forthcoming collaboration with The Refugee Talent Hub. The below interview has been translated from Dutch to English. The original article can be found on Adformatie’s site.

You’re partnering with The Refugee Talent Hub (RTH) and the Postcode Loterij on a job fair for the advertising industry. Can you tell us more about how you became involved in this?

Around two years ago, I began reading a lot about how difficult it was for refugee’s to find employment. They were building lives here in the Netherlands but were unable to find work in their chosen field. I realised that there were a lot of skills coming into the country that our industry, and many others, could use. So, I started to research organisations that could help us connect — which, for several reasons that turned out to be difficult. Then, a few months ago, I met Wilma Roozenboom, the founder of The Refugee Talent Hub and we started to think about how we could collaborate. We were then joined by the Postcode Loterij, who are hosting our upcoming event.

What do The Refugee Talent Hub do?

They bring together employers, from across the Netherlands, and refugees to build connections and experience. The ultimate aim is to find paid employment for the refugees they work with, specifically in the industry in which they trained. But there are other benefits — when people first arrive in the Netherlands they often have no network, and so these events can help form connections and broaden horizons.

Many of the people who join the talent hub have fled atrocities in their home countries and so arrive here with nothing. The aim is to help new residents to build a life and integrate successfully. Over the last five years, thousands of skilled people have arrived but it’s often hard for them to meet with the right employers. Only 17% of highly skilled displaced people were able to find work after five years. There is such a disconnect between these talented people looking for work and the industries that need that talent — The Refugee Talent Hub provides that bridge.

The event happening in November is an industry-wide follow-up. What does it mean, what will happen exactly?

We held an event at 180 Kingsday earlier this year — it was small but successful. We had 15 people join us for an afternoon, they came from Syria, Afganistan, Iran and Sudan — we spent time getting to know each other and working on a live brief. What was really encouraging to see was that every single person who walked through our door would make a great addition to the Amsterdam creative industry.

That event really proved the theory, that there was a wealth of talent and appetite within the industry. The job fair on November the 15th will follow a similar structure — we’ll spend some time getting to know each other and then the candidates will be given a live brief to work on. They’ll then have some time to meet the agencies, ask any questions and get to know one another. It’s our hope that all candidates will find their way into internships or full-time employment.

You already employ a refugee, how did that happen? What was the immediate cause at the time?

Yes, we hired a talented editor and animator, Gandy Mansour, who attended our event in August. He joined us in October and has turned out to be a great addition to the team. We’re also in talks with another candidate as we speak — an art worker — to join the production team.

How many candidates are coming to the event in November and how many of them are women? Also, tell us how you found them?

The Refugee Talent Hub is still currently recruiting through their usual social channels and on their website. They put a call out to everyone in their network and invite people to sign up for the event — we’re hoping for a great turnout.

Why are you doing this? What’s the goal?

The ultimate goal is to establish a network for the refugees nationally, allowing them to gain insight into an industry and take a step onto the career ladder. We want to help them integrate, develop their existing skills and help them grow.

For us, as an industry, it’s an opportunity to find talented individuals we probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. To reinforce diverse workforces with new perspectives and points of view. Most importantly though, it’s an opportunity for refugees who are building a new life in the Netherlands.

The advertising world is rather white (men’s) stronghold, where there is still much room for improvement in terms of diversity. Shouldn’t we be recruiting locally first?

I agree, there is always room for improvement; it’s something we talk a lot about at 180 Kingsday. We’re an agency that is 40% Dutch and 60% international and we make a conscious effort to unite people from all walks of life. In order to produce work that has a human connection, and fits seamlessly into people’s lives we have to bring a diversity of perspective to every brief. Our work with RTH is just one of the initiatives we are working on at the moment, but there is always more to do.

Assuming that this is not a one-time, for the stage, what is the next step? Even bigger, twice a year, next time with media agencies and brands — the Marcom Diversity Career Fair?

We’ve been overwhelmed by the interest from the advertising and creative industries. The dream would be that we can do this regularly and match the right candidates to the right companies. Through our partnership with RTH, we have learnt that smaller events can be extremely valuable, which is why November’s event will be divided up into small sessions, focused on different skillsets. When the events are more intimate, it makes them easier to attend as they are less intimidating.

Alongside this, there are plenty of other things we, and others, can do. Whether that’s hosting a session on portfolio development, networking skills or resume writing, these are all valuable contributions. If anyone is interested in learning more then either Wilma from RTH or I would be happy to offer advice and share our insights.

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