Salman, born in India, has been working for CTC since November 2023. Ever since the first meeting we had with him, we immediately noticed the vast knowledge Salman has in many different subjects. Meeting with him was a joy: he is a motivated and driven person that was actively looking for a job within the port of Rotterdam.
Salman’s perspective
The past months, Salman has been very delighted with his new job at CTC. Before working for CTC, Salman had never worked in an office environment before: all his work experiences originated from working on ships as a sailor. For over ten years, Salman was a seafarer in the private sector, where he was able to gain experience in different types of subjects. He has worked with multiple types of cargos on tanker ships and the fitting safety protocols, improved his navigation knowledge, and fulfilled maintenance tasks.
Salman did not experience switching careers from a sailor to an office worker as a challenge, due to the fact that his new team has been very supportive. He describes his integration at CTC as the following: “The team at CTC has been very supporting and I can always count on them to help me if I ever have a problem. They have a very kind, fostering and positive working culture and this makes working at CTC amazing. Because the CTC has welcomed me with open arms, I integrated very easily into the working culture and became part of the team with ease.” Moreover, Salman expresses finding joy in the collaboration processes at CTC: “I can work along with my colleagues with pleasure and together we are highly collaborative. When we work together, we are very dedicated to accomplish our goals: we often share ideas and give each other support to achieve the mutual goals we have set.”
We are happy to hear that the team at CTC has aided Salman since he started working there with much warmth and has assisted his integration on personal and professional ways.
Salman’s new function at CTC requires him to deal with the equipment needed for shipping cargo and he told us that this guarantees the improvement of his knowledge and skillset day after day. When we asked Salman what he has specifically learned now that he is working for CTC, he mentioned that he is getting more knowledge about the shipping industry, how to process quotations and how to purchase orders in ERP systems. Moreover, because the team has been very helpful, Salman also started to understand the Dutch language more.
Not only has Salman been provided with support from CTC, he is also very happy with the guidance given by Port of Opportunities. “I’m very satisfied with how Port of Opportunities guided me throughout this entire process. From the first meeting I had at their office I have felt that I was in good hands. And even after I have started working at my new job, they have still reached out to me and always checked up on how I am doing at my new job. I personally want to thank Max for being available all the time for my queries and navigating me in the right direction.”
What has Bob’s experience been like?
Bob, Salman’s supervisor at CTC, is very happy with his new colleague. Being an ambitious and determined worker, it was obvious that Salman would be a great asset for the company. “It was really nice to see how well Salman has been able to work with our team.”
When asked about the language barrier, Bob responded that this was a little issue at the start but was fixed quickly. This was done by adjusting the EPR systems and other software that is being used within the team to the English version for Salman. Moreover, by working with the team and supporting Salman, he has been able to learn the language one step at a time. “It is very encouraging to see how well Salman is improving his Dutch language skills with the help of our team. You can clearly see that Salman fits perfectly with his team and they cooperate well together.”
Looking back at the process, Bob expresses his gratefulness towards Port of Opportunities to make this match possible. The support and availability that Port of Opportunities has given, has been very professional, Bob tells us. “Salman has shown us that he is indeed a very good match for our company. His quick integration within the company and the team is remarkable and we are thrilled to see him succeed with us.”
It is very nice to see that CTC is eager to help newcomers and creates a pleasant atmosphere for people to work at. “Looking at the shortages that are in our industry, I highly recommend more companies to hire newcomers to their workplace. I have already recommended others to do so myself.”
