Skills and Knowledge Excellence • International Training • Educational Games Innovative Water Management • Successful Alumni • Cooperation
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MADE IN HOLLAND SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE Excellence • International training • Educational games Innovative water management • Successful alumni • Cooperation Where theory and practice merge The Dutch way e.com rad /sk dt ill n sa la n l d o k h Showing . n w like it is o it w w l w e What about a modern lecture in a historical factory? In d the Netherlands anything’s possible, because we believe g in linking education and real life. Students use cutting- e Comes from edge technology in a practically oriented education Russia and wants to system and work together with the most innovative specialise in Mechanical businesses. Add the attraction of the historical Engineering. His lectures legacy to this educational environment and are in English. students realise ‘that’s how I want to work’. Books alone can never Dreams achieve as much. of a career in Germany. Wants to go on to Wants a university of to be the best chef applied sciences to in Paris and will add the theory to his soon be a trainee at a top current practical Dutch Michelin-starred experience. restaurant. Has just left for her practical horse-breeding traineeship. 2 MADE IN HOLLAND Photo: Marijke Volkers www.hollandtrade.com 3 About this publication, January 2011, Made in Holland / Skills and knowledge is a publication of NL EVD International, a division of the NL Agency which is part of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and InnovationEditor-in-Chief Carin Bobeldijk Final editor Peter Koll Editing Kris Kras Design, Marc Mijer, Werner Bossmann Editorial address NL EVD International, Made in Holland, PO Box 20105, 2500 EC The Hague, The Netherlands, [email protected] Contributors Renske Heemskerk, Hielke Venema, Christien Dohmen, Priscilla de Jong, Willy Bronsteijn, Fred Klingeman, Huiberdien Sweeris, Marc Fonhof, Leo van Gelder, Leo de Wit, Emiel de Groot, Manfred Polzin, Charlotte van Hees, Hester Pronk, Loes van Tiem, Herman van Holt Concept, design and art direction Kris Kras Design, Utrecht Translation and revision Overtaal Language Services, Utrecht Printing vijfkeerblauw.nl Copyright Articles may be reprinted or reproduced only with acknowledgement of the source: Made in Holland, Skills and knowledge / NL EVD International. No rights may be derived from the contents of this publication. 14 www.hollandtrade.com/skillsandknowledge Interview “International skills are essential” Innovation Source: Skills-Netherlands With the help of students COVER The photograph on the cover shows two students at a EuroSkills 24 student competition. The students from secondary education compete to win titles such as ‘Europe’s Best Welder/Hairdresser/Baker’. Both ambition and precision are essential. PRACTICAL The link between learning how to do something and then practising Ask a The Dutch it with your hands is very important in the Dutch education system. In the professional abroad The students have already acquired spotlight 6 Treat trainees as International colleagues student projects a substantial amount of practical Practical and experience by the time they international 34 receive their diploma, which gives them a head start on the 22 job market. 4 Contents 18 Product development 30 Alumni Skills and knowledge Educational games Dutch successes 6 In the spotlight 2 1 In business 3 2 International cooperation Practical and international Working together in education Netherlands acts as guide for Indonesia 1 1 Outsider’s opinion 2 2 Ask a professional 3 4 The Dutch abroad World Expo Shanghai Treat trainees as colleagues Gaining valuable experience 1 2 Facts and figures 2 4 Innovation 3 8 Meet the Dutch Back to school Floating sustainable pavilion Global Entrepreneurship Week 1 4 Interview 2 6 Technology report 4 0 Addresses “Education is about investing in the economy” Synergy between university and hospital 4 MADE IN HOLLAND www.hollandtrade.com 5 Excellence Source: Skills-Netherlands Photo: ANP / Duisenberg School of Finance Cooperation The Netherlands has a large number of training and development institutions that are not government-funded, such as the Duisenberg School of Finance. The school is a collaboration between the Dutch financial sector and universities, the ambition being to support innovative research and offer top-quality academic education in core areas of finance. Given the close cooperation with industry, the Duisenberg School of Finance is well positioned to bring global financial leaders from industry and other international companies to the classroom.www.dsf.nl Challenge The Dutch always want to be the best from a very young age. This ambitious attitude is encouraged by the education system with activities such as specialist international competitions in which students compete for the title ‘Best European Welder’ and games and a range of competitions organised during lesson time. Thanks to this practical approach, the business community can already share in the benefits of the students’ excellent level of knowledge while they are still studying. www.skills-netherlands.nl 6 MADE IN HOLLAND www.hollandtrade.com 7 Traineeships Photo: Marijke Volkers (STC Group) Practice In lots of professions, practice is vital. Otherwise, how can the graduate be confident of steering his real-life ocean- going vessel safely into port? In the Netherlands, students can take various high-quality simulator-training courses, such as this one at the STC Group’s college in the Port of Rotterdam. Once the student has mastered the skills required to steer the virtual vessel, he or she will move on to practise on the training institute’s real-life vessels. Adults also undergo regular on-the-job training to keep their skills up to date. www.stc-group.nl Responsibility Students learn the most if you give them responsibility. An example are these hospitality management students from a senior secondary vocational school. They are running their own hotel and restaurant as part of a school assignment. That experience makes the learning process easier because they experience precisely what they will be expected to deliver on the job market in a way that would never be possible in a lecture on the theory. The Dutch education sector is constantly looking for this type of opportunity to cooperate with people in the field in once-only projects, competitions and traineeships. There are even forms of training in which the student works four days a week at a work experience company and goes to school for one day. 8 MADE IN HOLLAND Photo: Edith Paol (OCW) www.hollandtrade.com 9 International Outsider’s opinion Source: PTC plus.com Photo: Peter Cox Dutch students inspire China The Netherlands achieved something unique during the World Expo in Shanghai when 170 Chinese and 152 Dutch students staffed the Dutch pavilion ‘Happy Street’. The students made sure that the 50,000 daily visitors had everything they needed. Michele Bosch lives and works in Shanghai and was responsible for choosing the Chinese students. She experienced the event from close range, so how does Michele look back on Happy Street? “Chinese students sometimes spend a day at a company as part of their studies, but that’s always on a voluntary basis. There were a lot of enthusiastic Chinese students wanting to take part in this project – especially Economics, English Sharing knowledge and Tourism students. That was certainly a major difference compared to the Greenhouse farming is one of the sectors in which the Netherlands excels: our country is the second largest The visitors remember Dutch students, who were mostly on Hospitality courses. Because they were exporter of agricultural products in the world. Businesses such as the agricultural company PTC+ invite visitors the pavilion in particular paired off with each other as buddies, the Chinese learned a lot from the Dutch from all over the world to use all of their senses to get to know the sector better. This strong internationalisation is because of the happy, about hospitality at major events, such as the fact that absolutely everything also mirrored in other sectors in the Dutch education system. International skills are important for everyone, from open atmosphere, with has to look amazing all the time. The Dutch expect a lot from themselves and farmers to researchers pursuing a PhD. That’s why sharing knowledge at the international level is so common here tasty Dutch treats such immediately expect the same from others as well. I liked the fact that the in the Netherlands. www.ptcplus.com/EN as battered ragout balls, students were at an age where they reacted in a very genuine way to each other. treacle waffles and That led to a lot of clashes in the beginning, but in the end there were floods small fluffy pancakes of tears when they had to say goodbye to each other. The Expo had literally Are you interested in our practically oriented, international approach? Are you looking for a traineeship opportunity for everywhere. They were a only just finished when the first flights were booked from here back to the your students in the Netherlands, or can you host Dutch students? If so, please send an e-mail to [email protected]. big hit with the Chinese Netherlands. The students can now call on an international network of valuable food fans. contacts. The Chinese also learnt a lot from the challenging personal learning goals that Dutch students set themselves before the start of a period of work www.holland-expo2010.com experience and that they must achieve by the end. These goals give added value to the work experience.” 10 MADE IN HOLLAND www.hollandtrade.com 11 Facts and Figures 12 MADE IN HOLLAND www.hollandtrade.com 13 Interview Photo: Marijke Volkers (OCW) Joining forces A vital economy needs a strong business sector and businesses, in turn, need well trained people. In 2011, this means that students must acquire international skills as globalisation continues unabated.