When my daughter was 12 and dropped out in the final round for the selection of representative teams, I had an interesting conversation with a KNVB scout. Because what do you look for in such young children when it comes to talent? His answer: ‘Of course we look at technical skills, but at this age, the ability to learn is the most important. Because no matter how well you can play football, no matter how much passion you have, if you don't want to learn and are not persistent, you won't succeed as a top footballer.’

My daughter has turned out just fine. Not as a football coach, but as a successful coach at the highest level. Persistence and the will to learn were sufficient to make another choice when becoming a professional football player was no longer an option. At that moment I thought to myself: what have I learned about acquiring and retaining good staff?

RPA Trainee Programme

If you don't have the most money and thus can't buy a team of Messi’s and Ronaldo’s (which I wouldn't recommend, because how can you manage that?), then self-education is the only option. The same goes for RPA Consultants and Developers. They are not available in the market, because the field has only existed for ten years and the demand is enormous. And yet I see 90% of companies looking for people with experience and, as the only distinction, offering 500 euros a month more than the competition. That is why we have started our own RPA Trainee Programme. And no, the entry requirement is not an IT pre-training, as these are also hard to come by. But we look at character and competencies. For example, whether someone has an ‘affinity with technology’, is ‘curious’, has ‘persistence’, and... the ‘will to learn’.

This means you may encounter a colleague RPA Developer or Consultant with an IT or AI background, but also one with a conservatory education, a philosopher, or someone who has had a career as a ballet dancer and then fell into IT. What they all share, however, are the competencies and character to succeed as an RPA Consultant.

Falling and Rising

And we also go further and do not want to become a training institute for others, but to play at the highest level ourselves. And how do you do that? With successes (which are achieved through trial and error), nice clients and projects, a pleasant working atmosphere, and above all by continuing to develop your employees. Because more money alone does not make you happy.

So if you are struggling to find the right staff, don't get fixated on education, experience, or certificates. Instead, attract and engage people with an enjoyable training schedule, responsibility, and a good and motivating working atmosphere.

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