The best of both worlds
The Brainport region offers a wide range of roles and jobs at the intersection of technology and other fields. One example of someone with such a job is Andries van Cuijk, project manager at Peblar, a subsidiary of ProDrive. After completing his education at the Pedagogische Technische Hogeschool, he consciously chose to enter the business world. “I now combine the best of both worlds: the coaching aspect of education with the goal-oriented approach of the business world.”
‘I've probably never worked so hard, but I feel right at home here,’ laughs Andries at the start of the conversation. ‘This job gives me a tremendous amount of satisfaction.’ The Zijtaart native has been working at Peblar in Son since 1 November 2024. ‘We develop and manufacture EV chargers for electric cars. My team and I are responsible for converting the questions our sales colleagues gather in the market into technical solutions and ultimately into a product that performs above expectations.’
Let's go back in time, to the 1990s to be precise. Andries is in his final year of secondary school at the Zwijssencollege in Veghel. “I really didn't know what I wanted to study. After a conversation with the head teacher, I got a little further: it would be a higher professional education programme and 'something in technology”. In the end, I decided to follow in my older brother's footsteps and study Mechanical Engineering at Fontys in Eindhoven.
Andries soon realised that he liked the technical side of things, but that the programme wasn't quite right for him. “That's why I switched to the Pedagogische Technische Hogeschool (PTH) after my first year. I was able to enrol straight away and get my diploma without any delays.”
‘In principle, the PTH trains you to be a teacher in technical vocational education. However, many students ultimately choose to go into business. That was also true for me. The programme was interesting, but standing in front of a class... I couldn't see myself doing that, especially not at that age. I was still a youngster.’
In the years that followed, Andries worked at various companies, including ASML. “Funnily enough, I ended up teaching on the internal training programme there. Engineers from all over the world came to Veldhoven to be trained by me and my colleagues in working with and on the latest ASML machines. What really appealed to me about that job was the combination of contact with professionals from all over the world and working with technology.”
When he decided to leave ASML, many people looked at him strangely. ‘Leaving such a great organisation with such good employment conditions? I must have been crazy. But I was sure of my choice. I wanted to work for a smaller organisation where I felt I could make more of an impact.’
That's why, at the end of 2024, he chose Peblar, a fast-growing scale-up under the wing of ProDrive. ‘My job title is project manager. It's as broad as the name suggests,’ he laughs. "I'm the link between the team of technical people and my colleagues in the sales department. I can make the most of the experience I gained at ASML, combined with what I learned during my studies. Together with my colleagues, I hope to steer Peblar through its rapid growth. This job offers me the perfect combination of technical content and human interaction."