Building future-ready talent: How Sweco is developing young professionals

Sweco is one of Europe’s leading architecture and engineering consultancy companies, creating sustainable solutions for the communities and cities of the future. With approximately 23,000 employees across Europe, developing talent is a key priority. At the end of 2025, Sweco selected Lepaya as its new learning partner to redesign its young professional development program. The goal: help employees with 0–2 years of work experience make a strong start in their careers by developing the skills they need to succeed.

The new hybrid program combines foundational learning, personal development and growth tracks selected based on each participant’s needs. Participants are supported by trainers, managers and peers to ensure learning translates into daily practice.

We spoke with Lonneke Flierman, Manager Vitality & Learning at Sweco, about the changing role of L&D, developing young talent, and why learning needs to connect more closely to the business.

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Sweco combines Learning & Development and Wellbeing under one team. Why does that connection matter?

The combination makes sense because there is a lot of overlap between the two areas. Both are connected to sustainable employability, change, leadership and creating a positive working environment.

For example, when we talk about AI adoption, it is not only a learning topic. There is also a wellbeing component. Some people see the opportunities and want to experiment, while others might wonder: “What does this mean for my role?” or feel uncertain about the changes ahead.

That is why it is valuable to look at both sides together. Development and wellbeing are closely connected when organizations go through change.

How is the role of L&D changing as Sweco continues to grow?

Sweco is an ambitious organization and the challenges our clients face can be complex. At the same time, developments such as AI are changing how we work. ,  That means the expectations for our people continue to increase. We need to bring people along, support them, but also challenge them to continuously learn and adapt

The role of L&D is moving more from managing learning to enabling change. We are gradually moving away from very large learning programs towards smaller interventions that are closer to daily work.

I believe strongly in the combination. People need opportunities to develop skills, but they also need to apply them and take ownership of their own growth.

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What challenges did you want to address when redesigning the young professional program?

We already had a strong academy structure at Sweco. We have development programs for young professionals, experienced professionals and different leadership stages.

For young professionals, we had a program that had been running successfully for several years. But over time, we noticed that the connection with the business had become less strong.

We wanted something that was closer to the reality of our organization today. A program that was more connected to practice, with more focus on applying skills in the workplace.

Young professionals do not only need knowledge. They need confidence in conversations with clients, the ability to collaborate effectively and the skills to navigate their first years of work.

What does the new program with Lepaya focus on?

The foundation of the program starts with self-leadership: understanding who you are, what drives you, where you want to go and how you can take ownership of your development.

We do not focus on training people on specific content areas. Our professionals already have strong expertise in their own fields. Instead, we focus on competencies and leadership qualities that help them perform better in their roles.

The program, called Sweco Spark, is designed as a 10-month development journey for colleagues with 0–2 years of work experience. It combines foundational skills, personal reflection and practice, helping young professionals build the capabilities they need for their everyday work.

Participants start with a shared foundation focused on topics such as communication, collaboration, prioritization, feedback and personal effectiveness. During the program, they reflect on their own development goals and, together with their manager and trainer, choose two deeper development tracks that are most relevant for their role and growth ambitions.

The idea is that development should not be separate from work. Everything participants learn is connected to real situations they encounter at Sweco - from client conversations and project collaboration to managing priorities and navigating challenges.

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Why is practice such an important part of the learning journey?

Learning creates value when it changes behaviour and helps people to perform better in their work.

That is why we wanted a program that was closer to the business and included more opportunities to practice. It is not about spending many days in a classroom. It is about short, focused interventions that people can immediately connect to their work.

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The response so far has been very positive. Participants appreciate that the program feels relevant, that there is more choice and that they can directly apply what they learn.

How do managers contribute to making development successful?

Managers are essential because development does not happen separately from work. Learning is ultimately owned by the individual, but managers play an important role in creating opportunities, providing feedback and helping people to reflect on their growth. 

That is why we include manager conversations as part of the program. These conversations help participants reflect on their development, connect learning to their role and decide which growth areas are most relevant.

For managers, these moments are valuable too. Their role is demanding because they are balancing strategic challenges with daily operational priorities. Sometimes you need a structured moment, and an external trainer can help create that space and ask the right questions.

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How do you define success for the program?

For me, the most important measure is what happens after the program ends.

A few months later, are people still applying what they learned? Do they feel more confident in client conversations? Are they making better choices about how they work? Are they taking more ownership?

The immediate feedback is important, but lasting behaviour change is what really matters.

That is also why measurement is so valuable. With Lepaya, we can track development throughout the program and use those insights to continue improving.

Why did Sweco choose Lepaya as its learning partner?

I first came across Lepaya a few years ago, when we visited and experienced one of the VR learning sessions. What stood out was the energy of the team and the strategic approach to learning.

When we started looking for a new partner for our young professional program, Lepaya stood out because of the combination of methodology, professionalism and focus on impact.

The approach is very clear: prepare, learn, practice, apply and measure. That is exactly what we were looking for.

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We wanted a partner that could help us raise the quality of our learning experience and create a program that fits our people and our business.

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What advice would you give organizations developing young talent?

Start with your people. Talk to young professionals and understand what they need. Data and evaluations are useful, but conversations are just as important.

Do not design a program based only on assumptions. Invest time upfront to understand what people need and what will help them grow.

When choosing a learning partner, look for one that understands your target group, connects learning to business needs and can show the impact of the program.

Young professionals want opportunities to grow, but they also want ownership. The role of L&D is to create the right environment for that ownership to develop. In a world where technology, client expectations and ways of working are constantly evolving, the ability to learn may be the most important professional skill of all.