Some people have difficulty finding work, due to what is called their “distance to the labor market”. This can be a poor command of the language or, for example, a mental disorder. Truck manufacturer DAF welcomes these people as employees, because despite their “disability”, they can be in their place.
This week, DAF Trucks welcomed Ali Alali Alrakad (38), the 400th employee of Ergon, a work development company that, among other things, helps people with a support need on their way to the labor market. DAF has grown into the largest company in the Netherlands where people with a support need are offered work.
The Ergon employees working at DAF are active on various fronts. They work in logistics and packaging of parts, among other things. The latter is what Ali Alali Alrakad initially also does. The parts, packaged in smaller quantities, are then sent by the PACCAR Parts Distribution Center (PDC) in Eindhoven to DAF customers and dealers throughout Europe.
Ali Alali Alrakad: “In Syria I was a plumber, but I couldn’t find work in the Netherlands because I didn’t speak the language well. Sitting at home is not for me, because I want to work. At DAF I get a new chance. I learn a trade and practice the language while working. My wife and children and our future here; that’s what I do it for.”
Jeroen Gielen, who is responsible for the Parts Distribution Centre on behalf of DAF, calls the collaboration with Ergon ‘a well-oiled machine’. DAF provides the facilities, Ergon the right people, customized guidance and well-organized work processes.
Gielen: “The quality of the work delivered is impressive. We repackage around 100,000 parts every day. That shows the potential of people with a support need in our society. From a social point of view, this is a group that we do not overlook at DAF.”
