“I actually thought it wasn't too prestigious to work in a supermarket”, Staats states now. She nearly declined the offer she received from her former branch manager four years ago. “I had just obtained my diploma in social-cultural work and wanted to follow higher vocational education. I had a part-time job at Jumbo for years and my branch manager saw growth opportunities. Until then I didn't see myself working in a permanent position at a supermarket, but I decided to give it a chance anyway. ”

It is not new that Jumbo offers employees development and growth opportunities. Jumbo was one of the first supermarket chains to start its own training center, Jumbo Academy. Here you can follow courses at different education levels and employees can receive separate training courses under the motto 'You make Jumbo'.

“We expect a lot from people and are happy to contribute to their personal development,” says Hans Stommels, who has worked at Jumbo for almost 25 years. “That is why we not only look at their work experience and job profile but also what knowledge and qualities people have. We want to act from that. When people work coming from their strengths, they are much more motivated. ”

Jumbo Academy has entered into a partnership with SDO for the Jumbo Management Program (JUMP), because this university of applied sciences also looks at people's competencies and not just their prior education and CV. “We are an idiosyncratic company and we love innovation, so we wanted to see if it works to develop in a more competency-based way”, says Stommels, who is an MBO teacher and HBO program coach. “SDO has developed a complete training course for us.”

“Competency-oriented education is a trend,” says Jos Krol of SDO. “You see that more and more companies are starting to see the importance of looking at the personal talents and pitfalls of employees. Through TMA Method, people discover what they are good at and what they are less good at and they become aware of how to deal with this. This makes them more motivated to think about their own functioning. ”

SDO uses the TMA Talent Assessment to give students that insight. Staats followed the training to become a level 4 department manager and then the further training JUMP. The TMA report in combination with the training and the conversations in the workplace with supervisor and colleagues taught her a lot about herself. "A mirror is held up in front of you," she says. “I now know even better where my strengths lie and what I can still work on, such as my directness. I quickly give my opinion, but can sometimes formulate it slightly differently. ”

“I like the fact that there is also room within Jumbo to speak up and learn from each other,” says Staats. “I am still learning now. Every employee draws up a PDP (Personal Development Plan) and once every two weeks I have a meeting with my manager. In it, I can tell you how I am doing and what I am running into. Sometimes we are talking about very practical matters. I can set the agenda myself. ”

She thinks she has become more professional, but she hasn't finished her learning yet. “The opportunities you get at Jumbo motivate and stimulate you to grow. I would like to become a sales department manager and then assistant branch manager. My goal is ultimately to have my own branch! ”