YoungCapital- Make Money Work
Youth is the future. But many times they are seen facing an employment problem. Some companies want more qualified and experienced staff. And the youth is left in the land of unemployment. To help solve this problem, Ineke Kooistra came up with YoungCapital. YoungCapital is the European market leader in HR solutions for young talent. Their services focus on students, graduates, new job starters, and young professionals.
Make money, work. Let’s face it. Young people today are materialistic. Nothing wrong with that, but it gives a different perspective on money and work. Money gives young people freedom; freedom to buy what they want. To do what they want. Maybe to do what their parents couldn’t do. But to make money, they have to work. Make money, work. YoungCapital helps young people to work. On their way to making their dreams rock hard reality.
Ineke Kooistra has been CEO of YoungCapital since 1 January 2013. Ineke may be at the helm of a multi-million company, she is very open and approachable in her leadership style. And that makes working at YoungCapital so pleasant.
“I like to act as a facilitator for my employees. Tell me what I can help you with!”
The Company-
Dutch recruitment specialist YoungCapital (formerly known as StudentJob) was born in 2000 when the founders of the company themselves were looking for a part-time job. They quickly noticed that there was no platform yet for their needs and target group, so they created it themselves. What started as a simple website grew into an innovative temporary employment agency. They’ve been growing fast ever since.
Currently, YoungCapital is active in 11 countries and has an online database with over 6 million candidates. But they’re also rapidly expanding as a company, with 1.300 employees that work in 60 different locations. In 2018, they had a turnover of around 500 million, which is expected to grow to 1 billion in the next four years.
With over 5.1 million international connections, YoungCapital has the largest online network for young talent in Europe. In 2015, they opened their first office in Cologne, Germany. In addition, they have an online presence in Germany, Austria, Belgium, UK, Spain, France, Sweden, Switzerland & Ireland.
The company believes in the power of young talent. They are ambitious, creative, flexible, and always online. With their endless energy and fresh perspective, they are essential to all businesses. Although, one big challenge they are currently dealing with is the fact that they are growing incredibly fast. It has a huge impact on basically all operational processes. Some of them are more adaptable than others.
Their Services-
YoungCapital is specialized in young people because they think they are more important than ever because of the rapid digitization. They encourage innovation: provide new ways of communicating, collaborating, and solving problems. They just approach it a little differently. With their fresh vision and endless energy, they can conquer the world. As digital natives, they have new ideas about working. They are ambitious, creative, flexible, and connected. This encourages innovation in organizations and helps to break taboos that are in the way of growth.
YoungCapital envisions being the best talent developer in the Netherlands, focusing on recruitment, secondment and education and then eventually achieving the same result all over Europe. Ambitious? Not when you look at the numbers. It took them just one year to become the third biggest party in the Netherlands in terms of growth.
Since last years, YoungCapital boasts its own accredited HBO (Higher Professional Education) program for software development. And an MBO (Middle Professional Education) in engineering. The company has also been investing in IT, finance, and engineering traineeships over the past several years.
“There is a major shortage in these sectors. In addition, the Dutch educational system does not innovate quickly enough; resulting in young people/graduates lacking the knowledge and practical skills they need to kick-start their careers.”
The traineeships and the education programs help them acquire the skills they need and prepare them for the workplace. There is also an additional focus on soft skills, such as behavior and attitude, which are necessary for the jobs of the future. This is how YoungCapital is helping motivate young people to discover, develop and secure their position in the labor market.
Success Speaks-
“You immediately feel YoungCapital energy and our entrepreneurship the moment you walk through our door. They do everything in their power to keep our people happy & healthy, and make them stick around as long as possible.”
In 2018, YoungCapital once again outpaced the market, with a 43 percent increase in turnover, amounting to 465 million euros. This makes them the fastest-growing autonomous company in the industry. 2018 was also a successful year for YoungCapital in other areas. The recruitment specialist helped put about 60,000 talented individuals to work last year, 25 percent more than in 2017. The company also increased its number of employees from 1,000 to 1,300.
YoungCapital has set ambitious growth targets for 2019 as well. They want to grow by at least 100 million euros in 2019, with a turnover of at least 565 million. YoungCapital is now active in 57 locations spanning 10 countries across Europe. They are also planning to further expand our locations. The company is opening branches in Hamburg, Munich, Leipzig, and Düsseldorf. With this, YoungCapital Germany hopes to achieve a turnover growth of 80 percent in 2019.
Word from Ineke Kooistra –
All women who want to reach the top will find a way to break through that glass ceiling. No bias in the world will stop a woman on a mission to reach that top position. But it’s wrong to think that anyone with the right capabilities – man or woman – can work anywhere they want. There should be a match between your personality, the company’s values, and its culture. And sometimes it’s just a case of pure luck. Being at the right place at the right time. If this match doesn’t come naturally, it’s just not meant to be.
Ineke has been working in the recruitment and secondment branch for 25 years now. Both in the general and specialized staffing sections. Additionally, she has also set up and expanded various specializations within the IT staffing market. Her role as CEO of YoungCapital is to get people moving, motivate them, and coach them. She also safeguards the strategic decisions they make together as a company. Everyone makes their own decisions in their line of expertise. But, when it’s necessary, she has the final say.
The Team-
A recruitment agency works with real people, not specific products. They match people with organizations and want them to help each other to be the best they can be. The professionals responsible for the buy-in are satisfied when they can get employees for the lowest price. This puts them in a squeeze because they see the real value of the employees for these organizations. YoungCapital wants to make them more productive. This is only possible with a higher margin.
“Curiosity and being attentive to your people is the most important.”
Make sure that you always seek out an honest and open conversation, and take your time to listen to each other. Give your employees the freedom they deserve, and always make them feel like they’re worth it. I try and incorporate what’s best for everybody into all my decisions. Whether it’s the client, Young Capital employees, or the company as a whole. Never do anything for personal gain. Always look ahead and consider all your options, while at the same time making weekly and monthly reports.
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