Anissa made a career switch and started working in our IT department

In search of stability and structure

Anissa started her professional career in the academic world in the field of history, languages and religion. "After a while, I got tired of always working alone in the library and I followed my childhood dream of becoming a fashion designer. However, I soon discovered that the fashion world is very competitive and uncertain. You only ever get a temporary contract of a few weeks, months or, if you are really lucky, a few years. When that contract ends, you have to wait for a new production. My last costume design project was for a British-French TV production. It was a really cool assignment and a great way to end my career in the fashion industry. I felt that at this point in my life I needed a job that could give me stability, structure and nice colleagues. So, it was time for something new!"

Six-month IBO contract

Anissa moved from Brussels to Boom last summer and, together with the VDAB, started looking for a job that suited her. Because of her love for technology, IT quickly came to the fore. "I like to be in control, always look for solutions and am curious about how programs, products and software work, so that I can use them efficiently."

Since she did not yet have any professional experience in the sector, the VDAB suggested starting with an IBO contract. An IBO contract gives you the opportunity to learn the tricks of the trade while working for a company. "We were looking for a workplace where I could learn IT and Dutch. My native language is French and I have a basic knowledge of Dutch, which I wanted to expand. A friend of mine told me that they were looking for reinforcements in his IT department and asked me if I would like to work for them. He would be happy to share his knowledge and skills with me. Since I'd always heard him speak very positively about his job at MULTI.engineering, expressing his satisfaction and dedication, it seemed like an attractive opportunity to me. He contacted the HR department and I got in touch with the VDAB to see what was possible. Little by little, we managed to put everything in order and in December 2023 I was allowed to start as an ICT Support Engineer with a six-month IBO contract!"

ICT Support Engineer

"As an ICT Support Engineer, I'm responsible for solving all kinds of IT problems for my colleagues. Pretty soon, I was able to tackle basic problems independently. In the case of more complicated problems, Nicolas, Treesa and I work together to quickly find a solution. We also set up workplaces with the necessary IT infrastructure and prepare everything in terms of IT when new colleagues start."

Her expectations of MULTI.engineering as a company were immediately met. "I was welcomed with open arms and can always go to someone for questions or advice. The focus here is clearly on the employee. The management considers it important that everyone feels good in the workplace and shows this by regularly organising team building activities and offering training courses. I also like the company mindset: MULTI.engineering has ambition, wants to grow and learn. It's fun to be part of this team and to contribute to their vision and mission."

Grateful for permanent contract

"The six months of the IBO contract were super educational and interesting. The collaboration between me, the VDAB mediator, my manager and HR went very smoothly. At the same time, they were certainly also challenging months. You're really starting from scratch and have to learn everything you need to know step by step. I'm very grateful for the patience that the entire MULTI.engineering team had with me. Thanks in part to him, I was able to successfully complete the IBO contract and was offered a permanent one. It felt like a reward for the hard work of the past few months. I was very happy and relieved because I now finally have the security and structure that I was looking for. I look forward to learning and growing a lot more in the future!"