WFS PRO: Supporting Aviation Careers Beyond Hiring

Last October we were at MRO Europe in London and spoke to Niels Kloostra and Puk Steenbergen at WFS PRO, about how they support candidates even after they accept a role.

WFS PRO has positioned itself as a partner to both aviation companies and technical professionals. Using their network of business partners, they help qualified aviation professionals find their next career. 

But the aerospace industry faces significant challenges, not least talent shortages and increasing demand for specialised skills. We asked Niels how this changes the work he does.

“I definitely see my role evolving, especially when you look at growing shortages in the industry. I think now and in the future we must be more of a strategic connector with the companies we work with. 

“I think it's more than just filling vacancies. It's important you work together with your client and you look at other things like training people. Finding - maybe supporting - young professionals to do their work because they are the future basically.”

So it’s more than just finding jobs, but helping candidates build long term careers. What does that look like in practice? “Basically, our main goal is to seek, find and hire people, of course. But when the candidate is signed up, we try almost everything, from A to Z, for our new employees,” said Niels.

“This means, first thing, when they're from a foreign country, starting the housing search is quite important. There's a lack of housing in the Netherlands, so that's difficult. Furthermore, registration at the council, opening a bank account, health insurance are all mandatory in the Netherlands, so we make sure to connect them to our field manager so they receive the attention they deserve. More like a personal approach to it, I guess.”

How is this achieved in real terms? Candidates will receive a contact person where they can reach out if they have any questions or need support. “On a personal level they feel at home quicker in a new environment, so they can focus on their new job instead of having to think about a thousand things. I think that's something that's different than what other companies do.”

Niels continues; “By doing it like this, people feel at home, want to stay there. If they're not happy, the company we recruit for is not happy and we are not happy either.You're thinking long term and it helps definitely with retention rates”

Puk agrees. He explained how, from the employer's side, WFS PRO helps aviation and MRO organizations attract and retain the right technical talents, especially when competition for skilled engineers is global. 

“Well, from our point of view, we believe that when you know what you're looking for, you're going to find it. So for us, it mainly starts with the clients. We know them, we're involved, we're present, we always know what's going on, what they're working on. 

“That basically helps us translate their challenges - their work - into the right candidate. And with that, we can hunt for the right candidates. And our experience is if you work like this and you target the right group of candidates, you're going to find the people who are interested in doing this; they match.”

Like many companies in the aviation sector, WFS PRO is a growing international company. How do they keep WFS Pro's culture consistent across teams and countries, and what leadership principles guide their approach?

“It's all about the relationship, knowing what's going on. If we have people working with our clients, we're there, we're talking to the company, we're talking to the hiring manager, we're asking, hey, how are things going? Are there any challenges, any things that we can work on with our talent?”

And in real terms? “For example, maybe a hiring manager tells us your guy or girl is doing OK, but you could do better in this area. We will look, OK, how are we going to develop that for him or her? We can offer training, we're going to talk to them, be there. That's how you maintain that relationship and also help your talent grow.”

Thank you so much to both Niels and Puk for talking to us and helping us understand how WFS PRO’s hands-on approach helps aviation professionals thrive. 

You can find out more about WFS PRO on their website here and see what roles they are currently recruiting for in MRO and Aerospace on our website.