Former MSc student Anne Dijkstra shares her experiences in life after graduation, her Rijkstraineeship and her current job at Rijkswaterstaat.

1. Traineeship at the Dutch
central government
Anne Dijkstra
22 november 2012

2. Study background
• BSc Civil Engineering
– combination of technology and societal significance
• MSc Transport, Infrastructure and Logistics
– more focus on policy and governance, look at infrastructure and
transport in a broader context
2 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012

3. Graduation internship
• Schiphol Group
– developed a CO2 assessment tool for
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
– CO2 mitigation in combination with
transport is focussed on future and
needs innovation
– Long term goals and strategy in a
practical environment
– Societal relevance
3 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012

4. Rijkstraineeship
• In my trainee year (2010):
– Approximately 150 trainees divided over different Ministries
– Approximately 50 at Ministry of Infrastructure and the
Environment
• 4 placements in 2 years
• traineeship at the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment:
– 2 placements at your main Directorate General > for me
Directorate General Rijkswaterstaat
– One placement at one of the other (policy) Directorate Generals
within Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment
– One placement seconded to an other central government body
4 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012

5. Missions
• The Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment: create an efficient
network of roads, railways, waterways and airways, effective water
management to protect against flooding, and improved air and water
quality.
• Rijkswaterstaat: Executive organisation that manages and develops
the main national infrastructure facilities on behalf of the Minister
and State Secretary for Infrastructure and the Environment
5 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012

6. First placement: Rijkswaterstaat North-Holland
• Rijkswaterstaat :
– regional departments
– national specialised departments
• First placement at department North-Holland
• Main task: Implement organisational change
process of Rijkswaterstaat in the regional
department
• Experience:
– Do something completely different and non-
technical for a change
– Missed working on technical content
6 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012

7. Second placement: Ministry Europe Division
• International focus and closer to political
influence
• Main task: Compose the Cabinet response to the
White Paper on Transport published by European
Commission
• Experience:
– Transport is a European topic
– Climate mitigation is a ‘hot topic’ in transport
– Great opportunity to get insight in political
process
– Great opportunity to go to Brussels and see
how EU works in practice
– Focus on process more than on content
7 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012

8. Third placement: Dutch embassy in Singapore
• Innovation Attaché Network (Ministry of Economic Affairs):
– strengthen Dutch competitiveness
– by identifying opportunities for cooperation in Research and
Development
• Main task: Creating an overview of opportunities for cooperation
between NL and Singapore on research, development and innovation
in the energy sector
• Experience:
– Learn to see NL from a
foreign perspective
– Experience work at embassy
– Dive into new content
– Promoting NL is lobbying
8 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012

9. Last placement: Rijkswaterstaat Centre for Transport and
Navigation
• Specialised department of Rijkswaterstaat: network strategy,
developing guidelines, innovation
• Division of environmental quality > Climate
• Mitigation: How can Rijkswaterstaat contribute to CO2 mitigation?
– Promote electric vehicles
– Intelligent Transport Systems for cleaner transport
– Minimising rolling resistance of asphalt
• Adaptation: What can Rijkswaterstaat do to make our networks
climate robust (considering changing climate)?
– Extreme weather > consequences for highway network?
– Flooding > consequences for highway network?
9 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012

10. Last placement: Rijkswaterstaat Centre for Transport and
Navigation
• Knowledge building in cooperation with ao knowledge institutes
– Research on which spots in highway network are sensitive for flooding
when climate changes
• Advising regional Rijkswaterstaat divisions
– How to incorporate climate issues into infrastructure planning and design
• Policy advice to Board, Ministry and European Commission
– Give advice on what actions Rijkswaterstaat needs to take to prevent
future flooding of highway network
– Representing Rijkswaterstaat in expert group in Brussels that gives advice
to European Commission on which ICT measures in mobility will contribute
most to cleaner mobility
• My experience:
– Combination of transport, climate and international cooperation
– Combination of policy and practical application
10 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012

11. Rijkstraineeship general experience
• Versatile programme, opportunity to create your own focus in the
programme
• Good educational programme:
– a lot of interesting lectures from politicians and other experienced
experts
– Extra theoretical background on national and European policy
making and on personal skills
• Sometimes not very different from student life:
– Lectures, Trainee Board, Activities Commission, Study Tour
Commission
11 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012

12. Interested?
• Rijkstrainee programme: www.rijkstrainee.nl
• Rijkwaterstaat trainee programme: www.rijkswaterstaat.nl
• Vacancies at the central government: www.werkenbijhetrijk.nl
• Internships at the central government: www.stagebijhetrijk.nl
12 Rijkswaterstaat 22 november 2012