As a trainee in the Editorial Area, Cedric Bouwen (33) is involved in the editorial systems within DPG Media.

After gaining several years of experience in the corporate world, Cedric Bouwen (33) from Antwerp decided to give his career a new direction. He found this new challenge through the Campus 19 program at DPG Media, where he developed the necessary skills to start as a trainee within the Developer Academy. His interest was particularly drawn to the Editorial Area, where he is now continuing to grow.

Bart Volkaert, Area Manager at Editorial, explains the main focus of this Area: "Simply put, we are responsible for almost all editorial systems within the company. Printed or digital content is created using tools that we have built and maintain. You could say that we help keep the editorial teams at DPG Media running."

Collaboration with Journalists

And within that team, they have found reinforcement with Cedric, who greatly appreciates the close collaboration with editorial teams and journalists within the Area. He looks forward to fully integrating into the busy workflow, even though the first weeks are still an adjustment. “The codebase is quite different from what I was familiar with. Right now, I mostly follow the processes with my colleagues and gradually learn to code independently through their instructions.”

Even though the coding process is different, he learned some crucial skills at Campus 19. “During the program, you had to figure out a lot on your own and learn to do things in your own way. The training really prepared me to work independently,” says Cedric.

Bart also sees significant benefits in how Campus 19 trainees are well-prepared for the workplace. “We know exactly what trajectory they’ve gone through and what they’ve learned (or haven’t learned) during the program. We can now mold them further to fit our way of working, which is often harder to do with experienced seniors. I believe the trainees are genuinely motivated to work and to learn; otherwise, they wouldn’t have joined the Developer Academy,” says Bart

In any case, Cedric is very enthusiastic about continuing to work at DPG Media after the traineeship. “I think it’s a really great employer. You truly get the opportunity here to grow and further develop yourself. And the colleagues are also very pleasant. I enjoy coming to the office every day,” says a satisfied Cedric.