About The Project

“Bridge to Knowledge” is our social-cultural interpretation for this, because the candidates are getting the opportunity to fulfil their potential in an environment that would otherwise be inaccessible. The knowledge and experience gained in the Netherlands, can help candidates to create an increase of employment in Suriname. For clients this creates a great opportunity to scout new talents and form a creative and innovative team while helping to realize this vision.

In 2008 Lurfs Engineering B.V. started the “Bridge To Knowledge” project. Due to personal experience and several visits to Suriname, Brian Lurfs and his wife discovered that it’s quite difficult for highly educated with a technical background to find a job on their level. Because of the shortage of available positions, starters often find a job below their level and it’s hard for professionals to switch jobs. On the other hand there is a known shortage of technical employees in the Netherlands. In 2011 the pilot of the project came to an successful end with a positive retrospect and of course, as with all projects, a few learning experiences.

The pilot of 2008 – 2011 mostly taught us that coaching and accompaniment are essential in order for the course to be successful. The candidates enter a new environment with (company) cultural differences and different ways of communicating on the job. In Suriname they know a hierarchical company culture while the Netherlands most companies adapted an informal and direct company culture. Without the correct guidance, this can be challenging. This is why we offer correct guidance and pay a lot of attention to self-reflection and development.

The project has been a motivation for bringing more structure to secondment as a branch within Lurfs Engineering B.V. and with the certification of Stichting Normering Arbeid we created a strong foundation for this. With our background and experiences we form the bridge between supply and demand.