Workshop
NIMETO Utrecht
From school to internship: students discover how to work with different generations
NIMETO trains creative makers, doers and thinkers. During their internships, students encounter generations they don’t meet as often in school. That makes the transition to professional practice exciting at times: how do you find your place, how do you ask for help, and how do you navigate expectations that differ from what you’re used to? To strengthen students early on, NIMETO chose a short version of the Generation Game workshop.
The challenge
Students are at the very start of their careers and often find themselves working with older colleagues and internship supervisors who operate at a different pace and communicate in different ways. The gap between education and the workplace doesn’t lie with employers alone; education also has a responsibility to prepare students for that transition. Understanding generations and their different ways of collaborating is becoming an essential part of that preparation.
The solution
We facilitated two sessions with groups of students. In both sessions, we explored generational perspectives, communication preferences and typical work situations where expectations can collide. The first group had plenty of room for deeper reflection: students recognised each other’s uncertainties and found words for the situations they struggle with. The second group brought surprising perspectives on how differently people experience work.
The impact
Students participated actively, recognised each other’s experiences and realised they’re not the only ones who sometimes feel uncertain during internships. By practising communication in a playful way, they discovered how much they can learn from other generations and that it’s absolutely okay to ask for help. It gave them language for situations that are hard to explain and, most importantly, the confidence to start the conversation, even with older supervisors.
