Learning at IDA Foundation
Published on 2021-08-13 11:33:26IDA Team

Learning at IDA Foundation

Blog

Amsterdam, 13 August 2021 - As an employer, IDA Foundation aims to create an open learning environment for all of our people. We achieve this by stimulating learning on the job. This includes (online) courses and workshops for our employees, to develop their professional knowledge as well as social skills, which help them to develop and grow within the organisation.

Learning and development

Since a few years, IDA Foundation uses LinkedIn Learning as a learning platform for employees, offering a wide variety of courses. We encourage our employees to spend time every week on personal development, and to plan time every week (also during working hours).

Our HR department highlights some of the available courses every month, so our employees are up-to-date when it comes to availability of courses that are being offered. In addition, our HR colleagues organise ‘social learning workshops’ for certain courses. The coordinator of these courses is Rheinhard, he states the following about learning and developing at work: "The average skill set of employees has a short shelf life of less than five years. So, in this fast-paced working environment that is constantly evolving, learning has become even more relevant than ever before. As employees and job seekers, the need to focus on continuous learning should be a priority, so we evolve to the needs of the modern work requirements. There is a quote from Loyal 'Jack' Lewman that I like and helps motivate my learning - Never stop learning; for when we stop learning, we stop growing."

Over the course of four weeks, employees take an hour a week to study together with colleagues, and collaborate in breakout groups. Some of these Social Learning sessions were hosted by our own employees who are experts on certain topics, thereby also allowing them to develop training and presentation skills. The past year we have had courses such as ‘communicating with diplomacy and tact’ and ‘presentation skills’ among others. We hope to continue providing these courses in the future, as they are being highly appreciated by our staff.

"Group learning is a great concept that allows us to share knowledge among colleagues. Also, it gives a push to allocate time to our development." - Anonymous colleague

"I enjoyed learning via 'Social Learning' as it's way more fun and more effective since you can discuss right away in smaller teams as well as in practicing the theory you have just learned about. This particular course on diplomacy and tact was interesting as you learn very practical tips which can be applied in your personal life and daily work life." - Anonymous colleague

Internships at IDA Foundation

Another important aspect of our learning environment, involves hiring interns. The last couple of years we have seen the benefits of networking with universities and schools, to recruit motivated interns who bring in new perspectives. As the interns help us with specific projects, we give them space and time to learn and develop themselves on a professional level. Many of them even decide to stay after graduation! To give an insight in what it’s like to be an intern at IDA Foundation, we made a short video, together with our lovely interns Areen and Christa. Watch the video below: