Giulia Bergui joined IDEA in September 2024 for a 10-months traineeship within the Innovation, Competitiveness and Sustainability team, as part of her Master’s degree program (University of Milan). She holds an academic background in Public Administration, International Relations, and Political Science.

Saartje Prinsen entered the company in 2025 through a professional immersion traineeship, a training contract in which specific skills and competencies are learned on the job. With her background in urban planning, she joined the Sustainable real estate & Territorial Development team.

Learning and growth

How has your view of consulting changed since you started? And on IDEA as an organisation?
Giulia: I realised that consulting is not merely about giving advice or supporting others – it’s a continuous learning process. You never stop learning, especially at IDEA, which focuses on research-based consultancy. With every project, your general and personal knowledge grows – it’s a journey of constant discovery and I like that sometimes it can be tool to actively shape decision-making processes in public policy (which contribute to societal change in a positive light)

Saartje: I hadn’t thought much specifically about the term consulting when I started here. But once I started working at IDEA, I immediately noticed that it was not the classical perception of ‘consulting’. The company not only gives advice on knowledge but also continuously expands its own expertise. This keeps every employee challenged.

What skills or insights did you particularly develop during your traineeship that you think are crucial?
Giulia: The ability to apply specific approaches and methodologies to tackle different types of problems, and the need to stay extremely adaptable – both with clients and the nature of the work itself. You may start a task thinking one way, but quickly realise there’s a better, more effective way to approach it. Also learning how to manage time and priorities across multiple projects gave me the necessary autonomy to be able to be in a more permanent position.

Saartje: I think flexibility is the most important thing in an agency like IDEA. You must be aware that there are often trial-and-error moments, which sometimes actually lead you to new methods.

Was there a moment when you felt like you were really making a difference?
Saartje:  That moment hasn’t happened yet, but that doesn’t mean I don’t feel valuable as part of the team. I feel included because my ideas are listened to, and there’s a strong sense of support and collaboration among colleagues. I think this feeling will come by when I get more experience and responsibility.

Giulia: In more meaningful projects – but in general, being part of ICS (our team focusing on Innovation, competitiveness, green economy & AI) and working on EU-related projects that help the European ecosystem grow stronger already makes it feel like ‘I’m making a difference’ (especially as a firm believer of the EU)

Motivation and affiliation

What gave you the confidence to stay and continue to grow within IDEA?
Giulia: As said above, the continuous learning and the work environment gave me confidence. The colleagues are a big plus, and I appreciate how you are encouraged to be creative and think critically.

What do you think makes IDEA a good place for startups or young researchers?
Saartje: At IDEA, you get the freedom to follow your own path and grow in what you find important. You are not stuck in fixed structures, which gives you room to experiment and learn. What makes it extra valuable is that there are people around with very different areas of expertise. As a result, you learn something new every day, sometimes from an unexpected angle.

Giulia: The creativity & openness of people behind it. Also, even at the beginning some responsibilities are given to you (even minor ones/very small) which help you build confidence in your work and your ideas. There is room for personal initiative depending on the project I would say, but appreciated by colleagues.

Coaching and team dynamics

What helped you most in the coaching you received?
Saartje: What helped me most was that IDEA adapts to your needs. My team leader gave me the time to explore things independently and learn from my own mistakes, which I found very valuable.

Giulia: What benefited me the most was how open everyone was to questions. Even early on, very clear instructions were given from senior colleagues, which helped me understand how to perform tasks and eventually find my own way of organising things and preparing materials. They also helped me in understanding team dynamics and finding my own approach. Not being able to often see people in person during the first phase of the traineeship was rather challenging.

How did you experience collaboration with your colleagues? Did you feel quickly included in the team?
Giulia: I have always felt included in the team despite being a trainee, felt like my help was always appreciated. The hierarchy is not perceived (again related to everyone being open to answering questions/having discussions etc.)

Saartje: The collaboration was smooth and open, I felt included in the team quite quickly.

The transition from trainee to a fixed position

How did you experience the transition to a permanent position? What specifically changed / will change in your project work or responsibilities?
Giulia: More responsibilities, but already during the traineeship I could see how colleagues were gradually trusting me more. I was given more complex tasks, and I could also understand better how to approach them. The tone of instructions evolved as I gained confidence, and the work started to feel more intuitive.

What tips would you give to a new trainee to get the most out of their journey?
Saartje: I think it’s important to make it clear right away what your needs and expectations are. This makes it easier for IDEA to take your needs into account. In addition, it is good to actively ask questions, but also to ask for enough feedback so that you get the most out of your course.

Giulia: Be open about communicating & asking questions, even the smaller ones – especially the technical or seemingly “basic” things (at the beginning I was embarrassed about not knowing what cross-referencing was or how to work in track changes, but everyone is open and willing to help). Also having a strong team spirit is useful, as in every project you always must collaborate with colleagues, or sometimes it happens that the workload is high, and others are open to take on some of your tasks and vice versa. Also keep a learning mindset I would say.

Do you want to become our next trainee? Apply for our vacany!