'I wanted to enjoy working with machines too!'

Kiyan Hergaarden (20) has been working at Werkse! He's working in the Green & Environment department. He's having a great time there. He'd much rather be behind the wheel of a company car, on his way to a job in the city.

Already at 17^e Kiyan joined as an intern Werkse!After a while in the Assembly department, he quickly started to get the itch. "It was too busy there with too many stimuli for me." He heard from friends that the Green & Environment department was fun and was quite jealous of them: "Working with machines, I wanted that too!" So I asked my school for a transfer, and they agreed. Now I've been working in landscaping for three years.

Trash cans
As far as Kiyan is concerned, he's completely in his element. He enjoys working in the city the most. "You get to go places, chat with passersby, that's nice." With his driver's license in hand, he drives the company van into Delft with a colleague. There, they remove litter, clean the canals, clean the trash bins, and handle residents' complaints. "Complaints are usually about litter. Then a group of seagulls has been busy and left a huge mess behind. That takes half an hour to clean up."

Make money
"Work is quite important to me," says Kiyan. "It allows me to buy things, pay the rent, and fund my hobbies." But he also enjoys having colleagues he gets along with. For example, he enjoys working with his workmate Kadèr: "He's ten years older, but that doesn't matter. We understand each other and complement each other well. It's always fun working with him. We take it seriously, even though we have a lot of fun together. The work has to be done well and carefully. There are never any complaints about our work."

Trailer driving license
Kiyan quickly obtained the necessary VCA basic diploma, demonstrating his ability to work safely, responsibly, and environmentally friendly, and to handle hazardous substances. He also learned to operate a variety of machines: "I operate the motorized brushcutter – you can operate that if you have a driver's license. But I can also shear, blow leaves, edge; I can operate almost any machine. What I still want to get is a trailer license. I haven't applied for it yet, but I'll get it soon." He might even get a sawing certificate in the future, but sawing doesn't immediately appeal to him at the moment.

Transport company
For Kiyan, it's ideal to repeat the same work often, preferably in the company car. "I get restless when I'm constantly being asked to do something different. What I like is being assigned a district every day to keep things tidy. Emptying trash cans, maintaining green spaces, removing litter, cleaning alleys and gates, that kind of work." He would like to change employers someday: "I don't want to spend forty years at Werkse! I'm still young, and I have plenty of opportunities. I enjoy being behind the wheel; I don't necessarily need to work in green spaces. I'd love to get my truck driver's license and then work for a transport company.