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Location
  • Netherlands
    • Amsterdam
Length
20 weeks
Industry
Computer Science Design Engineering Sustainable Development Technology

Program Details

Compensation
Paid
Timeframe
Academic Year Fall Spring
Language
English
Weekly Hours
40

Pricing

Starting Price
550
Price Details
Pricing depends on your background, check out our website for more information: https://digitalsocietyschool.org/traineeship/

Next to a one-time tuition fee our partners have made available a monthly stipend for participants.
What's Included
Some Activities Some Meals Visa Wifi
What's Not Included
Accommodation Airfare Meals SIM cards Transportation Travel Insurance
Mar 25, 2020
Nov 02, 2021
Wish List
12 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Do you want to learn how to change the world with Design Thinking? Our traineeship might be what you are looking for.

During 20 weeks you will be In Digital Society School you will work on a project with one of partners. These projects are clustered around our themed Tracks. At the end you will present an prototype solution to the challenge posed. In addition you will participate in workshops, masterclasses and personal coaching to get you ready for the next step in your career.

As a diverse group of researchers, thinkers and doers we want to shape tomorrow’s society through digital technology, using human-centered design approaches. We think big, start small and are explicitly open, placing our findings at the world’s disposal.

We believe that our digitally fueled future can -and should- be inclusive, intelligent and involve us all. We invite students and professionals from creative industries to join out community.

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Video and Photos

Play Video
Kick off of the Global Goals Jam 2019 in Amsterdam
A view of the spring 2020 trainees working on their projects
Emma Bauxis-Aussalet explains how to drive data instead of being data-driven
Wrapping up the 2019 Global Goals Jam with a picture of all participants
Plastic food as a solution to our waste problems (?)
The team behind the "See you on the street" project
This team worked on a project with the Ministry of Justice and Security

View All Photos

Program Highlights

  • the focus of the projects is on sustainability
  • you will use design thinking to solve a real life challenge
  • you will learn to leverage transformative tech
  • you will learn about making and UX design
  • we are based in the centre of Amsterdam, the Netherlands

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Program Reviews

4.50 Rating
based on 10 reviews
Leave a Review
  • 5 rating 60%
  • 4 rating 30%
  • 3 rating 10%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 4.3
  • Support 4.8
  • Fun 4.4
  • Housing 3.8
  • Safety 4.9
Good for Building your resume, Students
Showing 9 - 10 of 10 reviews
Default avatar
Yijun
31
China
3/5
No, I don't recommend this program

Review

Mar 12, 2020

The staff in DSS are nice and helpful and most trainees in DSS are also friendly. In addition, it provides a good opportunity to build your resume, which will help you in your further career. However, for such a traineeship, it is very important to have a good group mates. Especially when the people in your group have a different skill level (for example, someone with a master collaborating with someone who did not even finish a bachelor yet), you might have a worse experience. As a consequence, the final project might be worse and not representative of the skill level of the one with a master.

57 people found this review helpful.
Helpful
Response from Digital Society School

It was great to have you in our program Yijun!
Thank you for your feedback, I am sorry to hear that your experience was one that you don't recommend to others.
We will try and make sure to learn from our experiences with your team and do better!

By Jeroen Groeneveld on March 27, 2020
Default avatar
Natalia
29
Russia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Becoming a Digital Transformation Designer at DSS

Mar 3, 2020

Having worked in graphic design industry for 2 years prior I have joined the program with a clear goal: to get some European working experience, expand my knowledge and understand what I can do beyond my current profession. The program exceeded my expectations by giving me all I've asked for and more: a solid set of soft skills, far superior understanding of how to solve sustainability-related issues, as well as great design thinking and facilitation methodologies. The program also showed me my capabilities as a professional, gave self-confidence, courage, and great friends.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Make sure to have housing in advance.
Don't be afraid to talk to anybody in DSS, ask for help/advice, there are no bosses there.
Trust the process, commit 100%.
The program is very intense so make sure to have enough time to process it and don't combine it with another job, it works neither for you or for your team.
57 people found this review helpful.
Helpful
Presentation at concept generation workshop during project ideation
Speculative Design workshop as a part of our project research
International dinner where all the trainees have cooked their national dish to share with others.
Response from Digital Society School

Thank you so much for your kind words, Natalia!

You impressed me and my colleagues with your curiosity, sense of humor and professionalism. And we are all very curious to see where your career takes you, stay in touch!

By Jeroen Groeneveld on March 4, 2020

Questions & Answers

What are the requirements?

Since we try to be inclusive we try to not use formal requirements if we can help it. In other words if you can convince one of our program managers that you are a match for one of our projects, you are in. In case you are not an EU citizen however you will need to have a completed Bachelor's degree. This degree should not be older than two years.

By Jeroen Groeneveld on December 7, 2020

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Jeroen Groeneveld

Program
Traineeship Digital Transformation Design
Job Title
Talent & Process Coordinator
Jeroen does most of his traveling in his mind being an avid Science Fiction fan. All this reading turned him into kind of a generalist having studied Artificial Intelligence and Musicology before getting his Master's degree in Philosophy.

His role at Digital Society School is to nurture the talent that we recruit and to serve as red-tape-cutter/anti-bureaucrat when our processes interface with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences.
Jeroen Groeneveld

What is your favorite travel memory?

A trip to and from the Theth valley in Albania. The trip to the valley was complicated because they were paving the road across the pass into the valley. Waiting for the road to open, my partner and I met a French couple going the same way and we decided to travel together for a bit.

After arriving, we were wondering if there wasn't a different way to leave the valley. One of the reasons being that the next day they would still be working on the road, the other being that going back-and-forth didn't sit right with us if there was an alternative.

And what an alternative it was, 40 kilometers of gravel logging road! It took us 8 hours to get to
tarmac and by that time the gasoline was perilously close to running out.

The kicker? Both the French couple and we thought the others were experienced at this kind of thing. Turns out it was a first for all of us.

Best. Trip. Ever. (Well, so far, that is).

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

I feel that, since starting at the Digital Society School, I have been pulling together the different threads that make up who I am. Getting the space to apply and further develop all the knowledge and wisdom I accrued over the past 40+ years is a privilege, to put it mildly. Getting the opportunity to share and learn from others even more so.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

My students don't return. They aren't supposed to.

But I have seen my share of battles with inner demons and intra project drama. The best stories end up being the ones they tell about how being challenged forced them to grow and adapt. And it is extremely rewarding to see them realize that they are capable of more than they know.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I just bit the bullet and I am going to participate in our Critical Data Camp this weekend, that should be interesting. But to be honest, I am curious about all the courses we offer as well as our traineeship programme. This is one of the nice things about starting somewhere fresh. Everything is just that: Fresh.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

As part of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, we are charged with finding new ways of shaping education and doing research, marrying traditional methods with those made available with the advent of widespread digital technology.

The way we interact with our partners, we help them to find a way in which to engage with the Sustainable Development Goals, the (maybe) unique way we do this is to challenge their expectations. The challenges they bring to us often turn out not to be the actual challenges they face.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

Ask me again in maybe a couple of years? Currently, we are still in the Start-up phase. Having said that, I believe that being transparent and authentic is crucial. Sustainable sales are only possible if something that you would be willing to buy or use yourself.

These days information is (almost) too readily available to get away with anything less.

About Digital Society School

We are a diverse group of researchers, thinkers and doers that shape tomorrow’s society through digital technology, using human-centered design approaches. We think big, start small and are explicitly open, placing our findings at the world’s disposal. We are the problem solvers, innovators and team players shaping tomorrow’s society. We believe...

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