Robert's career path has been anything but average. 'I accidentally rolled into ICT in the late 1990s,' he says. 'It was the beginning of the millennium, and ICT people were in high demand. I was commercially trained and still have a middle-class degree. Then I ran my own angling store for ten years, but after a while I was ready for something new - and then ANVA came my way.'
Robert was specifically looking for a role in ICT, but more on the business side. He says: 'I applied to ANVA, went for interviews at two organizations and it eventually became Licent. I started on September 15, 2024, at the same time as ANVA's traineeship.' The journey was intense, but Robert is glad he took the step. 'Otherwise I would never have been able to make such a flying start at Licent.'
Like the other trainees, Robert enjoyed working with the other trainees the most about the traineeship. 'Together you master the material and you can spar with each other,' he says. 'We have become a close-knit group and it is nice to see each other again every month during the ANVA return days. It's fun, but also educational; you stay abreast of the latest developments in our profession.'
After the doors of his angling store closed ('too big to do on my own, too small for staff'), Robert spent another year studying to become a cabinetmaker, something he now does mostly on a hobby basis. 'I'm someone who likes variety and a challenge,' says Robert - 'and fortunately I found that at Licent. With us there is nothing you 'just' do, everything requires figuring out. But that's just what I like.'
Robert's ICT experience was a plus, but for Licent the personal click was especially important, says team leader Danny Floor. 'He made an eager, inquisitive impression during the interview and meets our expectations in every way,' he says. 'Robert is a real team player who is aware of the gap between the traineeship and practice. But he tackles everything to develop further.'
And he owes that mostly to his colleagues, Robert says. 'They make sure that I am fully included in the ANVA world as they know it,' he says. 'ANVA is a beautiful product, there is still so much to learn in it.'
