On August 4th, BAEKEN celebrates its 2nd anniversary. To celebrate the occasion, founders Wilco, Wesley, and Pieter reflect on the journey from a bold idea to a team of 28 people. In this article, Wesley shares his personal highlights and insights.
“When I started BAEKEN two years ago, I had one belief: if you give ambitious people trust and space, the organisation will grow naturally. Today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about talent development, coaching, and building a traineeship that truly works.
My expectation was simple: we would invest heavily in training during the first months, and things would settle after that. But reality showed the opposite. The more we offered at the start, the stronger the hunger to learn became. The learning curve didn’t flatten, it got even steeper. And that demands something from us as an organisation too: we have to make sure there’s always something new to learn. Fortunately, ambition runs deep at BAEKEN. Everyone pushes themselves and each other forward.
For clients, working with a junior can feel like a risk. Our approach: strategically pairing our young consultants with senior experts. Most of the work is done by our juniors, but at key moments, seniors step in for coaching, review, and alignment. The result? Senior-level quality, delivered by a young and eager team. And that works.
We also take responsibility for that learning curve: we intentionally say no to projects that don’t fit our people’s development path. Sometimes, clients need a bit of convincing: they’re used to stability and want someone who’s “been doing it for years.” But by growing alongside our team, they discover the value of fresh knowledge and rapid development. It’s a win-win situation.
Our people are technically strong and pick up the software in no time. So, the major focus of our training is on the real-world challenges: dealing with stakeholders, communicating on-site, persuading with dashboards and whiteboards. Project controls isn’t a desk job; it’s about switching gears, connecting people, and making impact. And we guide our trainees through that, step by step.
We’re now a team of thirty. The first group of consultants is now training the newest members of the team. What started as an internal learning track has evolved into a flywheel of knowledge-sharing and innovation. Everyone contributes, everyone trains, and the program keeps getting better.
Clients now ask if we can train their people this way – and I can’t think of a better compliment.
Stay curious. Take on every opportunity to learn. And give back to the team. When everyone does that, we grow faster than ever and build the future of our field, together.
The traineeship is our foundation. The growth, the energy, and the results prove every day why it works. And this is only the beginning.”
