120 new hires kickstart their career at delaware in a sustainable manner

A good start is half the battle and delaware prides itself in making new colleagues feel at home quickly. During a four-week bootcamp, new joiners team up and learn together.

• Week 1 focuses on business fundamentals, like key consulting skills, work ethics and values.
• Weeks 2 and 3 centre around team and technology-related training sessions: getting to know the business processes and delaware's main technology partners (SAP, Microsoft, Salesforce).
• Week 4 is where theory is put into practice for the first time in the form of a business game or mini-project. Here, new starters work out a solution to a realistic customer challenge and present that to a group of senior colleagues. 

This provides them with a solid consultancy skill set foundation on which they can continue building throughout the rest of the onboarding track, which lasts six months. During this period, they already work on concrete customer projects, but they are also invited back for return-sessions and additional training sessions to keep the learning cycle going. 

“These bootcamps are quite intensive, but working and learning together, full time, for four weeks, helps to create bonds that last throughout people’s careers,” says Jan De Bock, Managing Director of delaware Belux. “Our aim is to build an organization that lasts, which we can only do with highly skilled people who feel respected and supported. We believe this is the most sustainable way to grow as an organization.”

Building a sustainable company

The importance of sustainability is also visible in delaware’s car policy, as the 120 new joiners are provided with a Belgian-made, fully electric Volvo XC40.

“This is the second year in a row that we provide the new starters at delaware with the fully electric Volvo XC40,” says Elfi Janssens, Managing Director at Volvo Car Belux. “Companies that go fully electric, make an impactful environmental decision and we are happy delaware is one of them. We look forward to seeing many more Belgian made electric Volvos on our roads.”

“This is also a story of long-term local partnerships, built on trust and expertise,” explains Wim Soenens, Commercial Director at Novabil Group. “It’s a bit of a challenge, getting that many cars ready on day 1 of the bootcamp and we’re glad we can count on strong partners like Westlease to make it work. It remains an impressive sight: that many brand-new Volvos together, ready for take-off.”

According to delaware, this partnership works because all those involved are committed to building a more sustainable future while placing people at the centre of their activities. 

“Since 2023, all new company cars must be electric,” explains Pieter Sanders, Fleet and Facility Manager at delaware Belux, “but that was an easy decision to make for us: in 2022, before it became mandatory, 90% of all new ordered company cars were already full electric. Also, the feedback from last year’s starters on the electric cars was very positive. Going electric is an important element for any organization that wants to be a sustainable company. The effect is also long-lasting and extends well beyond our company.”