A New Beginning: how TNO and Motopp create opportunities for talented newcomers

Published on 1 December 2025

TNO–Geological Survey of the Netherlands (TNO-GDN) actively works on inclusion and diversity. That is why it collaborates with Motopp, an organization that guides status holders with an IT background toward employment. Many of these newcomers are highly educated but struggle to enter the Dutch job market due to language and cultural barriers.

An impressive academic background

One of them is Oleksandr Galochkin. Through Motopp, he joined TNO-GDN, where he has now been working for over a year as a Java Developer within the GIT (Geo-Information Technology) department. Oleksandr is originally from Ukraine, where he earned a master’s degree in state finance, a PhD in physics, and gained experience as a university lecturer in Computer Science. He now applies that theoretical knowledge daily at TNO-GDN.

The war in Ukraine made his situation untenable. Although his wife and daughters had fled to the Netherlands earlier, he stayed in Ukraine for another year and a half to care for his father. Eventually, he relocated to the Netherlands as well, together with his father and mother-in-law.

At home in the GIT department

Here, he completed a seven-month reskilling program at Motopp. That program proved valuable: he gained practical IT knowledge, such as Javascript, and from there found a fitting role at TNO-GDN. The first days took some getting used to due to the many projects in his team, but Oleksandr immediately saw that as something positive: “It means experience and a chance to grow.”

By now, he feels completely at home. “I enjoy my work and feel hugely supported by my colleagues and team lead. After the struggles and disappointments in Ukraine, I feel happy and supported here.”

A fair chance in the IT sector

Through the collaboration with Motopp, highly educated newcomers like Oleksandr receive a fair chance in the IT sector, while TNO-GDN gains access to motivated, skilled, and diverse talent. In this way, TNO-GDN and Motopp jointly contribute to equal opportunities, inclusion, and innovation in the IT sector.