Our business is a knowledge business and it is essential that our people continue to grow and develop personally and technically so we are not only an employer of choice but also the consultant of choice for our clients. Examples of how we encourage exchange of knowledge include:

Global onboarding programme and Royal Start

In 2019 we optimised induction programmes developed within individual countries with the introduction of a global online onboarding programme (New Joiners Programme). It is a learning programme in which new employees are guided through company information such as strategy, business principles, our way of working and many other topics. The information is relevant to every new colleague, regardless of their role or position. In addition, the Royal Start program was organised for new employees:

• In the Netherlands, the interactive Royal Start day was held 12 times in 2019. New employees were able to meet colleagues who recently joined and interactive games were used to introduce our ways of working.

• The 23rd of July 2019 marked the launch of the Royal Start program for Southern Africa. Seventeen new employees from various offices attended a full day of presentations, discussions and group activities at the Johannesburg office. The participants also had the opportunity to meet with members of the Management Team and representatives from different Business Units. It was an eventful and inspiring day, filled with knowledge sharing and networking.

• In 2019, four New Starter Induction programs were held in the UK with over 70 colleagues from various offices attending it. This program gave our new colleagues an overall understanding of the company and a speed dating session with the business lines to show the diverse projects and how the business lines work collaboratively.

Young Royal HaskoningDHV

Young Royal HaskoningDHV is the international platform that facilitates our 2000 young professionals worldwide. Through the events the young professionals get to know our company, improve their network, exchange ideas and learn from each other. Hereby the platform aims to create a stronger cohesion among our young staff by offering plenty of opportunities. In 2019 this included inspiring events such as talks on parametric design, the climate agreement, SDG’s and diversity. The Young platform has organised a digital booster day, a personal development festival, a study trip, sporting events, an incredible international cross selling day, an interview (college tour) with our CFO and an inspiring young professional, international webinars, fundraisings and many more events to engage our young professionals.

The Young platform is used to raise awareness of opportunities that can impact the daily operations of the company, and collaborate with our senior management, corporate groups and business lines. Our management supports Young actively and also gives them the opportunity to contribute to the future (vision) of our company. Hereby Young Royal HaskoningDHV contributes to the personal development of all young professionals, and the alignment of Young with global company goals and challenges.

Launch of our MEP Academy

In November our new MEP Academy was launched to focus on Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing engineering, a key area of expertise. It is an initiative of the MEP community within our Industry & Buildings business line and represents a community of more than 200 MEP engineers. It will focus on knowledge sharing and the development of technical expertise through workshops covering both theory and application. The Academy’s first module is Sustainable Energy Concepts in Design and includes eight workshops facilitated by our own experts. Future modules are planned on digital engineering and lab expertise. As well as developing technical skills, the workshops will support building client relationships, adding value and the ability to ask the right questions – including the 4 Questions on sustainability.

Digital Studio – innovative tooling for client projects

Our Digital Studio team offers global support for clients of our five business lines, by offering innovative tooling such as augmented and virtual reality, internet of things, data science, and point cloud scanning. Digital Studio delivers project management, expertise, consultancy, and equipment for these technologies to take client projects to the next level. By combining local expertise within the business lines with third-party partners and our team, we aim to strengthen the innovative skills of our business lines and contribute to our Strong22 goals of ‘winning more work’, ‘innovating through digital’, and ‘accelerate digital ways of working’.
Through pop-up visits to local offices, showcases in business line teams, and a set of interactive workshops (for example on augmented and virtual reality) Digital Studio aims to enhance the knowledge level of our business line colleagues in these areas, and ensure self-dependence where possible. Our latest visits to Southern Africa offices and clients, workshops in the U.K., and support for our APAC region highlight the exchange of knowledge and collaboration between our central Digital Studio team and our business lines.