Time setter story: Tobias Mooy on the TNO Traineeship

In search of a suitable traineeship

Tobias Mooy studied Industrial Engineering and Management at the University of Groningen, specialising in Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. After his studies he deliberately searched for a suitable traineeship. ‘I was looking for a programme where I could develop myself in a broad way. The TNO Traineeship really stood out to me: it is a coherent programme where you intensively develop your leadership skills over two years. It includes training sessions, workshops, peer supervision and a personal coach.’

Collaborating with companies

Tobias found his first trainee position with the SME Fasttrack Team, which helps startups, scale-ups and innovative companies to grow and increase their impact by accelerating innovation. ‘I'm part of the Fast Access Team: we answer questions that come in through the website and facilitate collaborations with companies. Within my role, I connect the enquirer with experts in the organisation. We help companies with all sorts of issues, from recycling furniture plastic to creating a salt battery. This gives me a rapid overview of everything happening within TNO.’

Entrepreneurial

For Tobias, TNO and the traineeship perfectly align with his entrepreneurial character. Between his bachelor's and master's degrees, he started his own business with a friend: a delivery service for cold drinks in Leiden and Utrecht. ‘I felt I couldn't express my entrepreneurship within the university and wanted to create something. It was an amazing learning experience to build it together with a friend.’ The company still exists and they have now transferred it to an investor.

‘At TNO I also see plenty of room for entrepreneurship. Besides helping companies grow by accelerating innovation within their startup, scale-up or company, many spin-offs also emerge from TNO. These are companies that originate from innovations developed at TNO, that are now ready for the market.’

Personal development at the centre

Tobias notes that there's plenty of room for initiative within the traineeship. ‘The TNO Traineeship is partly 'by trainees for trainees'. We organise workshops and events in committees. Together we make it a complete experience and there's plenty of room for everyone's ideas.’

Not for a grade or manager

Another important aspect for Tobias is the focus on personal development. ‘As trainees, we do 'On the Spot' presentations for each other where we present insights about our trainee position. It's not about project results, but about what you've learned about yourself, your talents, and what you find difficult. I'm not doing it for a grade or approval from a manager, but for myself and my fellow trainees. That encourages you to honestly reflect. What you put in, you get out of this — same goes for the traineeship as a whole.’

Reflection has already yielded valuable insights for Tobias. ‘I've discovered that my choices are often analytical and rational, and I rarely listen to my feelings. When fellow trainees ask 'but how do you feel about that?' or 'what does your gut feeling say?', I had no answer. I didn't know this about myself before. That emotional aspect is certainly important, and something I want to develop further. I want to focus more on this with my coach or in upcoming workshops.’

Sustainability

For his second trainee position, Tobias wants to delve into the scientific content and focus on sustainability. He chose a position with the Sustainable Technology and Industrial Practices team. ‘I'll be working on innovations around hydrogen production, collaborating both within TNO and with other stakeholders. This brings together various disciplines: orchestrating collaboration, business development and project management. I didn't want to fill an existing vacancy, but rather create a position together with a manager. And we succeeded!’

What energises you

‘The TNO traineeship is meant for people who are open to reflection and change. You must be willing to put in the work to get everything out of it that's possible. That doesn't mean working more hours; it's about attitude. And of course, there must be genuine interest in technology and innovation. And what really impresses me is that everyone here has a strong sense of responsibility and motivation to truly make a difference in their field.’

Tobias does not rule out working at yet another unit for his third position. ‘From sustainability to medical innovation, you can view innovation from many perspectives here. I cannot think of another company where that would be possible.’