Mohamad's sustainability challenge at start-up GEHECO

Since the beginning of this year, Mohamad Alkenaan has been working as a research and development engineer at start-up GEHECO. GEHECO is developing a way to heat homes in a smart and sustainable way with water heat pumps. “This is a fantastic job. I research things that don’t exist yet and can go wild with ideas.”

With an engineering degree in his pocket, Syrian Mohamad fled to the Netherlands in 2022. He spent a year on the asylum seekers’ shelter boat ‘Galaxy’ in Amsterdam. “I already knew then that I wanted to live near Delft. There are many small technical companies in Delft, where I could find a challenging job,” says Mohamad.

New job via LinkedIn
In 2023, he moved to Delft and came into contact with Werkse! via the municipality. “To be completely honest, I didn’t really understand what Werkse! was at first. It seemed like one organization to me.”

Mohamad found his job at GEHECO himself via LinkedIn. “I saw a job that interested me and applied. It was voluntary work at first, but since September I have been hired as a paid employee.”

“Werkse! helped with that procedure. I didn’t know exactly how application procedures in the Netherlands are supposed to go. Werkse! checked whether my contract was drawn up correctly and whether the employment conditions were correct. That was very nice.” Mohamad thinks it would be a good idea for Werkse! to specialize in that area in highly educated newcomers. “I could easily find a job myself, but I didn’t know the Dutch laws and regulations well yet. Special help with that works better than help with finding a job.”

Contradict your boss
Mohamad also has a tip for other highly educated refugees: “Be patient with the rules in the Netherlands and stay honest. Trust yourself and the knowledge you have. The hierarchy in Dutch companies is very different from abroad. Here you are allowed to contradict your boss. Do that too, if you know you are right. And if you are wrong one time? It is not a problem if you do something wrong. Learn from your mistakes and then continue with your project with twice as much energy.”

Now Mohamad feels completely at home in Delft and at GEHECO. “It is fantastic to work at a start-up company. We design something that does not yet exist. That means researching new ideas, coming up with solutions, testing, making prototypes and starting over again. I find this phase incredibly challenging and have not had a single day of boredom since I started working at GEHECO.”

GEHECO is often looking for new interns (volunteers). Are you technically trained and interested in green tech? Then take a look at www.geheco.com.

Support from Werkse! for highly skilled newcomers
Werkse! has a special team that assists status holders with integration and the first steps towards employment. Thanks to the experience knowledge of Mohamad and other newcomers, Werkse! can improve these services. Since August 2023, the Statusholders team at Werkse! has been providing training to statusholders to familiarise them with the labour market in the Netherlands. It deals with application procedures, contracts, culture and making a CV and application letter.