Into the jungle, armed with Portuguese

One of the first organisations to send employees to Regina Coeli to learn Portuguese was Mammoet, the company that many people will have heard of in relation to the transport, assembly and removal of oversized objects. The red cranes and heavy transport equipment that belong to this originally Dutch concern are often seen in action on, for example, Discovery Channel when they report on huge projects that have involved Mammoet.

Erecting wind turbines in Brazil

“At the moment we are busy working on a project that entails erecting 220 wind turbines in the Brazilian jungle. We have sent our best people there to lead the project. They are working with the locals so it’s extremely important that they can speak Portuguese”, explains Just in ‘t Velt, Head of Human Capital at Mammoet. My men are not the kind to be put off by hard work, so they came to Regina Coeli for a number of weeks to learn Portuguese.

The best technicians get language training

“We almost always work together with local parties when we carry out our projects. Good team work is of paramount importance to us and that means being able to speak one another’s language. English is mostly the language of communication; it’s also the company language. When we recruit new people, we take their language skills into consideration, but if they have to work on a special project like this one in Brazil, we make sure our best technicians get good language training.

Transition to global enterprise status

Mammoet has become a global enterprise. At the moment the company is expanding rapidly in South America. Whether they are blazing a trail through the jungle, salvaging a stranded ship or hoisting a very heavy bridge, Mammoet employees could find themselves working anywhere in the world.

Nuns of Vught, a recognised concept

It’s not unusual that Mammoet chooses to do language training at Regina Coeli. “Mammoet has always been very pleased with its courses at Regina Coeli, as I have been, too”, says Just in ‘t Velt. “In my previous job I had to negotiate with the Italian unions, so I went to Regina Coeli and learned to speak Italian well in just three weeks. I was extremely pleased. But of course, the concept of ‘the Nuns of Vught’ is well known in the Netherlands as well as in many other countries!”