Melvin Venema studied Engineering at the Rijn IJssel vocational training centre and founded the company Venema E-Mobility Charge Systems (VECS). As an entrepreneur, he offers work placements to vocational and higher vocational students studying subjects such as Mechatronics and Electrical Engineering. And, if all goes well, a job. ‘This is one of the companies in Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen that is making the energy transition possible,’ says internship coordinator Wilfred Seesink of Rijn IJssel. ‘Here, our students are introduced to technologies that are rapidly evolving.’
For his final-year placement, Melvin Venema was given the opportunity at Rijn IJssel to work on an innovative project for the municipality of Arnhem. His task was to develop a smart charging solution that would allow electric taxis to fast-charge via the trolleybus network. That was in 2017 and sparked Venema’s fascination with charging point technology.
He set up his company, Venema E-Mobility Charge Systems – VESC for short – where sixteen engineers now work on charging and battery systems. Venema and his staff believe it is important to play their part in the energy transition in the Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen region and beyond.
‘We are an accredited training company and offer work placements to students at senior secondary vocational (MBO) and higher professional education (HBO) level,’ says Venema. ‘We place great value on the transfer of knowledge within the energy transition. We believe that what is learnt young is practised for life.’ Several students have completed their final-year placements at VECS and have subsequently been offered jobs. ‘We are creating a few new jobs every year.’
Business in Arnhem-Noord
Venema's company is located near Cleantech Park Arnhem, where Connectr, centre for energy innovations, is located and the University of Arnhem and Nijmegen (HAN) has its Hydrogen (hydrogen) lab, the Powerlab and the Mobilitylab. 'We are growing and looking for new premises here in Arnhem-North. Companies and knowledge centres we work closely with are also located here, such as Rijn IJssel and the HAN. In Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen there is a lot of knowledge about electricity and the energy transition with Connectr as the beating heart, connecting all parties.'
Student becomes service technician
Senna Hietbrink (21) studied Mechatronics at Rijn IJssel and developed the uni-charger during his final-year placement at VECS. This is a compact charging station used for testing systems. ‘For this project, I had to source the right components and received support from colleagues who knew more about charging protocols,’ says Hietbrink.
‘Mobile charging point systems are interesting because you’re dealing not only with charging cars but also with the storage of electricity. My degree course was a good fit, but in practice you have to deal with many more components.’
Hietbrink feels at home in the company’s young team. He works there as a service engineer. ‘When there’s a fault, you have to troubleshoot the system; that’s very educational and it takes me all over the country.’
Industry, education, government
Over the past year, VECS has been involved in a pilot project run by the municipality of Arnhem, aimed at zero-emission construction in the new Olympuskwartier neighbourhood in Arnhem-Zuid. ‘For this, we developed a 120-kilowatt charging point, which allows construction machinery to recharge overnight via the trolleybus network,’ explains Melvin Venema.
In the earlier project to charge BrengFlex’s electric taxis via the trolleybus network, it became apparent that there were many legal hurdles in practice. ‘You can’t simply supply and sell electricity via a trolleybus network,’ explains Venema. ‘We worked out the technical feasibility, whilst Arnhem City Council and bus operator Transdev dealt with the legal aspects.’ This is how the business community, the education sector and the local authority reinforce one another within Lifeport.
Venema has developed a DC-DC (direct current) safety box that can be attached to a trolley pole. ‘As well as its safety functions, this box contains an MID-certified meter that accurately records exactly how much electricity is being drawn. This allows the costs to be passed on.’ 
Melvin Venema (right) and Senna Hietbrink, photo: VECS
After trolley also tram and metro lines
Arnhem is the only city in the Netherlands with a trolleybus network; Venema also sees potential in tram or metro lines. Although the technology is slightly different: ‘In the trolleybus network, both the positive and negative lines are suspended in the air. With a tram or metro line network, the positive line is suspended in the air and the rail acts as the negative.’
Venema is in discussions with The Hague City Council regarding the possibilities of connecting charging points to tram lines. The council is launching a pilot project in collaboration with HTM (Haagsche Tramweg Maatschappij) to supply power to public charging points via the tram line network. Like Arnhem, The Hague wants to encourage electric driving in order to reduceCO₂ emissions caused by traffic in the city.
Technology and sustainability
Technology and sustainability are key pillars for the Rijn IJssel vocational training centre. ‘Among other things, we train all-round electricians, and our courses are designed to match as closely as possible the demand for technicians from companies in the Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen region. This includes companies specifically involved in the energy transition. They work with innovative techniques and technology,’ says work placement coordinator Wilfred Seesink of Rijn IJssel.
Work placements at companies such as VECS offer Rijn IJssel students practical experience with, for example, mobile energy systems. Seesink: ‘We’re talking about larger battery packs and green technology. VECS is a young and dynamic company that serves as a flagship for vocational education.’
Venema agrees that there is a positive synergy between the education sector and the workplace. ‘We are keen to give interns the opportunity to familiarise themselves with new technologies relating to batteries and charging systems for electric vehicles and machinery. If both sides are satisfied, we often end up offering interns a job.’
Lots of learning on the job
Merijn Wagner (22) is a fourth-year Mechatronics student at Rijn IJssel and is doing his graduation internship at VECS. Prior to that, he is already doing holiday work at the company. He is enthusiastic about his first impression on the shop floor: 'This is an industry that is useful for energy transition. Here you come across many different electrical engineering designs and there is a lot to learn.'
First job at internship company
Ries Groeneveld is Wagner's internship supervisor at Rijn IJssel. He sees a bright future for his students:
'If trainees do well, their bed is made. This applies to all technical courses, by the way: companies are desperate for professionals. Some 80 per cent of our third- and fourth-year students find their first job at the internship company'.
Merijn Wagner chose the technical stream at VMBO-TL and subsequently switched to an MBO course in Woodworking and Furniture Making. He completed this at Level 2 and then opted for the Mechatronics course, a combination of electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. He moved to Arnhem to undertake this course at Rijn IJssel. After several work placements at other companies, Wagner ended up at VECS. ‘The atmosphere is good and there are lots of young people working here.’
Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen Region is the leading innovation region focused on sustainable and vibrant living. In our region, things are happening in the fields of Energy, Health and High Tech. As Lifeport, we’re well-recognised in The Hague, Brussels and beyond. Here, companies, public authorities and knowledge institutions join forces to innovate. As a result, developments in sustainable energy, future-proof healthcare and essential chip technology are flourishing.
What makes Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen Region unique? Our position, both nationally and internationally, our people-centred approach and our combined innovative strength. ‘Together’ is the key word here, because only by working together can we lead the way.
