Melanie Verschoor 's love of technology runs in the family. For Melanie it was a matter of course to choose the profile Nature and Technology at VWO pre-university education. Now she follows Dosign's dual engineering trajectory in electrical engineering. And like her father, she works for Strukton Rolling Stock in Alblasserdam.

"First I wanted to join the Defence Force," says Melanie. "I had already passed selection, but didn't sign up in the end. I would have been signed up for twelve years and I didn't want to be tied up for that long. I went looking for something else. An education in technology, but not only theory. At one point I saw a commercial of Dosign's dual trajectory. That was exactly what I was looking for!"

Learning and working
Melanie signed up for the dual trajectory. A week later she signed her contract with Dosign. "The advantage of this process is that I both learn and work," says Melanie. She is studying electrical engineering at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. She also works 28 hours a week at Strukton Rolling Stock. "I put Strukton forward to Dosign myself. I was already doing holiday work at Strukton and wanted to stay there. I know the people, the atmosphere is good and there are many challenges when it comes to work".

Fully-fledged employee
Strukton Rolling Stock is part of Strukton Rail and deals with engines, on-board network cabinets and everything else between the driver's control desk and the electrical installations of the moving vehicle. "We are very versatile," says Han Geerligs, Construction group leader at Strukton Rolling Stock. "We make the hardware, the power modules and all the PCBs. We also write software, connect cables and Ethernet networks and install all the electricity in the moving vehicle. As a fully-fledged employee, Melanie contributes to this. She draws the electrical diagrams and is already working on the design of an on-board power cabinet. The next step is to test and measure the cabinets."

Critical attitude
When asked whether her education is in line with her activities, Melanie answers: "Yes, theory and practice match very well. We work a lot here on traction and on-board network cabinets. I also get everything that is involved in this at school. And if I don't understand, there's always a colleague who can explain to me how it works." Han adds: "The educational process also helps in other ways. I notice this particularly in Melanie's critical attitude. She asks the right questions at the right time. And what I like about Dosign is that they themselves add training courses such as time management and meeting techniques. That's what the engineers of today really need."

At home in a man's world
Melanie enjoys learning and working. The theory is easy for her to do and she has found her place at Strukton. "Melanie is the only woman in the department, but she knows well how to stand her ground", Han laughs. Melanie: "Technology is indeed a man's world, but I feel at home there. I do think it's a shame, though, that not more women are going for a technical career. As far as I'm concerned, that could be promoted even more."