Pedram Kiai already had a vocational (Dutch mbo) diploma and a job in aeronautical engineering, when by chance he came into contact with the dual engineering trajectory of Dosign. Now he is in second-year college education (Dutch hbo) electrical engineering and works as a Technical Product Specialist at Siemens.

A college education plus a job with future prospects! Pedram Kiai

"The dual trajectory of Dosign immediately appealed to me," says Pedram. "I was able to follow a higher professional education and at the same time had a paid job with prospects for the future. The perfect combination!" Pedram signed up for mechanical engineering. During the job interview at Dosign, electrical engineering proved to be better suited to his background and interests. "I adapted my choice of study to electrical engineering. That turned out to be a good decision."

Technical Product Support
Dosign connected Pedram to Siemens. There he could work in the Technical Product Support department. "Customers in the industry can come to us for all their questions," says Team Leader Technical Product Support Remco Valentin. "These questions vary widely. From a single product sending strange messages to a malfunction in a large factory", says team leader Technical Product Support Remco Valentin.

Service and engineering
Pedram first followed a two-week course and then started working as a product specialist. First for the simplest products and then for increasingly complex product groups. Pedram: "I have now mastered all the product groups and am on standby in the service department. I visit major customers, for example when part of the factory is shut down. I also tag along in the engineering department. That's where I actually come into contact with the products."

Cooperation with Dosign
"You don't learn the Siemens technology until you're working on it," Remco adds. "With that in mind, five years ago we entered into a partnership with Dosign to train dual students. By now, Dosign knows exactly what we are looking for: an mbo`er who is communicative, service-oriented and self-reliant. Pedram fits into that picture."

Good connection
For most mbo'ers, the theoretical part of the training is difficult. Does that also apply to Pedram? "It's actually doable ", he says, "but you have to work on it! Especially in exam periods I'm stuck with a lot of work. On average, I need eight hours a week to study at home. Fortunately, the theory fits in well with my work, especially the programming subjects. A good example of this connection is the field of industrial networking. This is a third-year course. I was already allowed to take this course because I was working on it at work. That worked well, I had an 8.2 for my test!"

Ideal for driven hbo-college students
Do Remco and Pedram recommend the dual route of Dosign to other companies and students? "Yes," says Remco. "However, your company or department must be suitable for it. The process requires some guidance and you must be able to offer the opportunity to grow from a junior position". Pedram adds: "To be honest, I don't understand that there are so few dualers. It's the ideal way to get your degree, have a relevant paid job and work on your future. You have to be driven and there's no partying each night, but that's worth it for me!"