Nurturing Tomorrow’s Photonics Professionals: Today

PhotonDelta’s Human Capital team is introducing two brand new professional development programmes – the Young Professional Programme and the Advanced Professional Programme – designed to bridge the gap between the ambitions of those in the first few years of working in the photonics industry and the ongoing talent needs of PhotonDelta’s ecosystem partners.

PhotonDelta is committed to developing both the employment market and talent pool for the integrated photonics industry across the Netherlands. Technology moves fast – especially in a sector as dynamic as integrated photonics. So how can those entering the industry keep up with the pace of change? Surely the leaders of tomorrow could find themselves operating in a completely different landscape in 15 to 20 years’ time?

While university research departments and the companies active within the PhotonDelta ecosystem continue to advance integrated photonics as a technology, another major challenge lies in professionalising and developing the industry as a business environment. 

That’s why PhotonDelta’s Human Capital team has developed two new learning schemes – the Young Professional Programme for those in the first few years of their photonics careers, and the Advanced Professional Programme for employees in the next phase of their career. 

However, these programmes aren’t about physics, engineering, or manufacturing. They’re focused on helping tomorrow’s photonics pros develop the broader, interpersonal, and leadership skills and behaviours needed to succeed in business.

Building A Business Environment For Integrated Photonics

Developed in collaboration with specialist training company, Ormit Talent, these programmes comprise hands-on, high-impact learning experiences: a blend of training modules, company visits, personal coaching, and peer learning.

The Young Professional Programme – as the name suggests – is aimed at early-career professionals with less than three years of experience who want to grow their confidence, impact, and potential. 

The Advanced Professional Programme is designed for professionals with five or more years of experience who are eager to deepen their leadership skills, expand their network, and inspire change within their organisations.

“Many people entering the photonics industry now will often find themselves working at startups or scaleups; given the nature of where the sector is right now,” says Wouter Lintsen, PhotonDelta’s Project Manager for Talent Quality & Education, and one of the project’s leaders. “They offer a very different experience to more established, larger companies like Philips or ASML, where career development opportunities are common. These programmes give young professionals in photonics a real boost in developing essential skills that’ll help them thrive in smaller, rapidly growing businesses.”  

Both 12 months long, each programme requires a 3-day-per-month engagement from participants. A total of 24 participants are scheduled to begin the programmes as part of this year’s cohort, from right across the PhotonDelta ecosystem.  

Boosting Leadership & Management Skills To Evolve The Market

Education and outreach are key drivers for PhotonDelta’s Human Capital team; to ensure that engagement with, and awareness of, integrated photonics is universal – from school children learning about technology, to PhD students considering photonics as a career pathway.

“There is so much potential for integrated photonics in any number of applications – across every sector: from automotive to medical, agrifarming to quantum computing,” says Eveline Verholt, PhotonDelta’s Project Manager for Talent Attraction & Engagement. “It’s a new technology, but in order for it to evolve as a market, we need more people with different skillsets.”

That’s where Ormit Talent’s expertise comes in. For the last 30 years, the team has worked with highly technical companies – including Brainport, ASML, as well as the PhotonDelta ecosystem – helping established and startup companies and employees develop their professional skills. 

“To be successful, you need more than technical expertise,” says Ingrid van Tienen from Ormit.  “That’s not our specialty. Our strengths lie in helping professionals develop soft skills that will help them have an impact within their organisations. Our plan with PhotonDelta is to create an environment where technical experts can come and learn together, with both expert guidance and peer support.”

Communication & Collaboration Are Key

While the two Young Professional and Advanced Professional programmes are similar in structure and content, the real differences lie in the latter’s focus on leadership. However, both immerse participants in exploring their own mission, vision, and values, and finding ways to self-reflect and adopt authentic behaviours based on these.

“Communication, collaboration, and learning how to influence people are all universal skills,” says Ingrid. “When working with technical experts, we begin by focusing on their daily work contexts and gradually looking at ways to support them as they implement these key learnings in ways that are relevant to their own challenges.”

Perhaps one of the biggest benefits of the two programmes is being able to network and learn alongside, and develop working relationships with, other professionals facing similar challenges in the photonics sector, who are at the same career stage as them. 

“Those who get the most of our programmes are those who are open to other perspectives and other ways of thinking,” says Ingrid. “That can be scary and challenging because they’re not used to it, but daring to try new things helps shift their mindset.”

Overall, learning how to translate knowledge into impact is the key outcome for all participants, which reflects the broader aims of PhotonDelta as well as the ambitions of the global photonics community.

“It’s time to take photonics out of research labs and into real-world applications,” says Wouter. “If we want to attract professionals from other sectors, we first need to build a solid talent foundation from within. Creating opportunities takes education and inspiration.”

The programmes are made possible thanks to joint investment from PhotonDelta and Orbit Talent. PhotonDelta funded half of the programme, reflecting our commitment to strengthening the talent pipeline and supporting the growth of the Integrated Photonics ecosystem in the Netherlands.

While this year’s cohorts have already been selected, to find out more about the Young Professional Programme and the Advanced Professional Programme, visit the PhotonDelta website.