How Buildwise scaled its AI impact and raised ambitions with Ormit Talent
Buildwise is the innovation engine for Belgium’s construction sector. With a single dedicated FTE fully focused on AI at the start, the growth ambition was clear — but scaling impact without losing focus or quality was actually the real challenge. This case shows how they increased capacity, improved cross-departmental collaboration, and unlocked ambitions through a tailored NextGen Program with Ormit Talent.
The figures of this case
About Buildwise
Buildwise is the innovation centre for Belgium’s construction sector, supporting more than 110,000 companies, from general contractors to carpenters, roofers, and painters. They combine scientific and technical research with expert guidance and practical solutions, helping members work smarter and faster.
1st AI Traineeship
of BelgiumAs Belgium’s first AI traineeship, the Ormit Talent & Buildwise program sets a new benchmark for how organisations can build AI capability in a practical, sustainable way. It is designed to do more than train talent.
Why Buildwise chose to partner with Ormit Talent
Big AI ambition but limited capacity
Complex processes
One dedicated FTE fully focused on AI
Many projects in backlog
No GenAI Talent Employer Brand
7 dedicated in-house experts focusing fully on AI
Cross-silo collaboration
Higher capacity, more projects taken up and delivered
Expanded ambitions
Does this sound familiar?
You know you need to invest in AI, but you’re lacking the profiles, structures, and time. Start today.
How we see it
(& do it)
Buildwise wanted to turn AI ambition into real results for the organisation and the sector. Not with one-off pilots or external quick fixes, but by building in-house capability that could scale across teams and keep evolving. This traineeship became the backbone of that shift. Here’s how we made it happen together.
This is how we get started
Deep intake & pain mapping
We started with a deep dive in Buildwise’s strategic goals, culture, challenges and what “success” needed to look like. An important step that defines the architecture of the whole program, learning us exactly which profiles were needed to close the gaps.
Build the recruitment engine
Every applicant went through a structured selection process with multiple assessors. The goal? Get an objective read on two things: their AI foundations, and the skills that make AI actually land in a complex organisation. Learning agility. Stakeholder management. Cross-team collaboration.
Six trainees were selected. The first one started at Buildwise a month after applying.
With this video, we convinced 378 applicants.
0
Applicants
0
attended the assessment
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got selected
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Trainees started
Pepijn
Jorick
Viktor
Sisekelo
Gorik
Lennert
Pepijn
Jorick
Viktor
Sisekelo
Gorik
Lennert
Pepijn
Jorick
Viktor
Sisekelo
Gorik
Lennert
Imagining this in your organization?
Discuss your challenges and what a NextGen program could change.
The Next Generation of talents with a knack for AI is in high demand. But what do they look for when choosing an employer? The Ormit Talent Trainees explain what attracted them to the AI traineeship.
Training, coaching & assignments
Results
The impact Buildwise experiences on the workfloor
They experienced these first benefits
While AI expertise existed across R&D, Buildwise scaled from one dedicated FTE fully focused on AI to a 7‑person in-house team—unlocking more delivery power and faster adoption internally and with customers.
Higher capacity
By embedding trainees across different teams, the program broke down silos and enabled AI knowledge to flow throughout the organisation, turning isolated expertise into shared capability.
Improved cross-departmental collaboration
With more in-house expertise, Buildwise raised the bar. They now take on more AI projects, explore new use cases, and set higher goals for how AI can serve the construction sector—successfully turning their ambition into reality.
Expanded ambitions
NextGen Programs are your solution for
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