People-centred innovation: a visit to Weener XL

Weener XL, a work and development enterprise of the municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch, focuses on people. The organisation is committed to creating equal opportunities and social security for everyone. Visitors immediately receive a warm welcome from the reception staff, who are also participants in an internal work programme. This introduction says a great deal about the nature of this centre for learning and development.

Participation at several levels

Tanja van Abeelen, an education expert at Weener XL, talks about the support available to residents of the municipality of ‘s-Hertogenbosch: ‘At Weener XL, we focus on participation at three levels: rejoining society, reintegration into the labour market and sheltered employment through participation in daytime activities. We help every Weener XL employee to become more active, to learn new skills and to increase their self-awareness one step at a time. We encourage them to learn new things and identify opportunities for personal development in a familiar, safe environment. We emphasise their strengths and focus on possibilities rather than limitations.’

In the participation department, people are given training and support to help them actively participate in society. The department focuses on developing their strengths and increasing their self-confidence in a safe environment. The reintegration department offers intensive programmes to help people develop skills, such as learning to work in a team, so they can rejoin the labour market. If regular employment is not feasible, Weener XL offers a sheltered environment with various workplaces.

Autonomy at Kr8 and Sterk in Werk

At Weener XL, the learning process focuses on building self-confidence by developing good relationships, independence and skills. Because, as Tanja claims, a supportive environment, the freedom to make decisions about your work and a sense of proficiency all contribute to personal growth. Weener XL also offers a variety of training courses. Tanja explains two of these: Kr8 (Strength) for vulnerable people and Sterk in Werk (Strong at Work), which helps participants rediscover a sense of satisfaction and energy in their work. ‘Kr8 asks a lot of participants, as most are not used to challenging situations. The eight sessions focus on reaching goals and employing passion, skills, motivation and values while showing your personality. This course is all about using your weaknesses to become stronger.

Sterk op Werk focuses on using all the capabilities of participants to allow them to get the most out of themselves, to increase their job satisfaction, to reach a higher energy level and to perform better.’

In a pilot project, several employees prepare a personal development plan with goals. The objective is to learn new skills and develop. As well as these courses, Weener XL offers support in other ways, including an extensive range of online workshops (350!) that teach many different skills, and group courses and classes at school in partnership with local schools. These learning opportunities focus on various development areas, including basic skills, personal development and professional skills. The various ways of learning are offered in an accessible format to motivate participants. The main goal is to help them participate in society through employment or daytime activities, because contributing to the community gives a sense of satisfaction, regardless of your qualifications.

Left Tanja van Abeelen, right Aniek van Helvoirt and Joost Kollau  

Innovation and practical learning with Lab XL

Lab XL also offers opportunities for learning and development. Joost Kollau and Anniek van Helvoirt proudly talk about this innovative platform, which stimulates ideas. Joost: ‘Ideas often fail to get off the ground because of all the hurdles that need to be overcome. The Lab XL platform was founded to enable people to develop ideas without all those hurdles, which in turn allows them to help other people and colleagues. What was needed was a budget and permission to make mistakes, or in other words a licence to fail.’ The platform focuses on developing and improving technology through bottom-up innovation from the work floor. Joost: ‘Professionals in the working process often know exactly what needs to happen to improve services.’ Once an idea is launched, a multidisciplinary working group gets to work, if necessary with other partners. Students then test the results.

Successes of Lab XL

VR Works is a great example of a successful Lab XL project. With the help of AI, it allows 85 different jobs to be experienced virtually. Potential employees can easily experience the benefits and drawbacks of a job and discover if the work suits them. The system also includes a job interview simulation. The simulation assesses participants’ communication skills and the VR coach gives immediate feedback. They can take part in a job interview as often as they like in this virtual environment. The participants in the study visit were able to experience the benefits of this immediate feedback for themselves. ‘It’s much more effective than role playing,’ says one participant.

The forklift simulator also allows employees to decide whether or not this type of work suits them. Besides the experience, the system is also a useful tool for discussing skills.

In the restaurant, the participants experienced innovation from Lab XL without being aware of it. Catering employees receive work instructions on a tablet using 3D technology. With Stap voor stap, hoe maak ik een broodje (Making a sandwich step by step) participants can learn at their own pace without the need for a supervisor to be present.

Melting pot of activities and interaction

During the guided tour, participants saw how employees interact every day in an inclusive environment with daytime activities, workplaces and meeting spaces. With more than 2000 employees, Weener XL is a true melting pot of activities and interaction. Even more remarkably, it all happens under one roof, from the work floor to the flexible offices upstairs. Taking a few steps to the other side is all it takes to make contact. The working café is also a natural and easy meeting place.

In the restaurant, which is staffed by Weener XL employees, the participants enjoyed a great lunch. The clean space is a hive of activity, where employees sort and fold clean washing with care. In the postal department, we saw how employees help companies with their post while making optimal use of their skills. Weener XL also provides landscaping services: employees help to maintain a green, clean city that they are rightly proud of. Their work has a very positive impact on the city and its residents.

For me, the great thing is that Weener XL doesn’t just offer various workplaces, but also space for socialising and creativity. The working café and other common spaces encourage informal interactions and help to create a positive atmosphere.

A path to work and well-being

During the guided tour, it became very clear that Weener XL is more than just a social enterprise: it is a place where people’s strengths can come to the fore and grow. Employees can discover a new path with pride and satisfaction. It’s not just about creating jobs, but also about seeing people as individuals and discovering what they are capable of. Benefit recipients are given the opportunity to develop rather than living in isolation. Weener XL is the embodiment of inclusion, empowerment and growth.

Read more

• The slides of the presentation Participation at several levers from Tanja van Abeelen are available here
• The slides of the presentation Innovation and practical learning with Lab XL from Anniek van Helvoirt and Joost Kollau are available here
• You can also read the community story of Sjoerd van het Erve, director of Weener XL, and Marleen Olijslagers-van den Meerendonk, personnel manager at Weener XL