House of Technology
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consultancy
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programmanagement
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networkmanagement
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reallifelearning
An innovative programme that connects young people with businesses in Zeeland, focusing on sustainable solutions and economic strengthening through collaboration and co-creation.
Started October 2019 - ended 2021
As strategic advisor for the House of Technology and co-developer and of the programme, I played a key role in developing and adapting the programme to the changing circumstances due to COVID-19. My responsibilities included coordinating stakeholders, guiding the programme design, and adapting the programme to continue online or in a hybrid fashion. Furthermore, supporting and advising the client in making the grant application to the province of Zeeland.
The original aim of this programme was to engage young people in Zeeland in sectors with severe labour shortages, through hackathons as a prelude to challenge-based learning, in which they worked with professionals to find solutions to complex regional issues. This programme marked the beginning of a decentralised and multi-level network of learning communities in Zeeland, in which education, business and government worked together for sustainable innovation and economic strengthening. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the programme was revised and adapted for online and/or hybrid implementation.
- Development and design of the programme in collaboration with the consortium of House of Engineering, Cargill, Dow, HZ University of Applied Sciences, and University College Roosevelt.
- Ensuring co-financing from network partners and making a supplementary grant application to the Province of Zeeland.
- Adapting the programme design for an online format due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Facilitating collaboration between educational institutions and industry, both physical and digital.
- Coordinating the reorganisation of the programme to a digital format, including the selection of appropriate digital tools and working forms.
- Communication and coordination with relevant partners to ensure programme continuity despite the pandemic.
Based on the societal interest in the province of Zeeland and cooperating partners in the Campus Zeeland ecosystem, it was necessary to accelerate existing offerings on the one hand; and to develop coherent programming that supports Zeeland's young people and professionals from the perspectives of choosing, learning and working in technology on the other. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, core values such as respect, flexibility and perseverance remained central. The rapid transition to a digital format required courage and innovation from both participants and the organisation. Although secondary schools could not participate due to the complexity of the switchover, all partners involved remained loyal and determined to take up the programme again at a later date.
Although the programme could not be physically implemented by COVID-19, the adaptation to a digital format led to valuable insights and new opportunities for future implementation.The idea of n, ambitions and working methods were positively received by the client, network partners and co-financiers, who indicated that they still wanted to implement the programme in the future. This shows the ve strength and relevance of the programme, even in challenging times.Moreover, the concept and the language of Learning Communities has since been embraced by other regions and, as such, the programme has been partially or fully implemented in other parts of the country, further underscoring the programme's broad applicability and impact.
The key learning moments were the awareness of the need for flexibility and the challenges of digital transformation within education. The rapid shift to digital forms of work was an eye-opener for many and highlighted the need for further digital skills development within both education and business. This insight contributed to partners' willingness to take up the programme again at a later date.
- Programme and project management, with a focus on crisis management
- Adapting and implementing digital learning environments
- Stakeholder management and facilitating remote collaboration
- Innovative thinking and problem solving in challenging circumstances
- Monitoring and evaluation of hybrid education programmes
"As part of the wider investment programme “Zeeland in Stroomversnelling”, the consortium received €50,000 grant to organise three regional hackathons in Zeeland in 2020/2021. In these hackathons, multidisciplinary and cross-sectoral teams of schoolchildren, students and employees work on solving complex Zeeland challenges. The close cooperation with Zeeland educational institutions and the regional business community laid the foundation for the creation of so-called ‘learning communities’ in Zeeland, which will have a lasting impact on the region’ According to the programme team Human Capital Agenda Zeeland.
