HomeNewsCloser cooperation between Windesheim University of Applied Sciences and the University of Twente
Photo credits Frans Nikkels

Closer cooperation between Windesheim University of Applied Sciences and the University of Twente

Windesheim University of Applied Sciences and the University of Twente (UT) signed a cooperation agreement today. With the covenant, the educational institutions express their ambition to work more closely together on various education and research initiatives.

Every student in the right place

Windesheim and UT endorse the importance of more cooperation to ensure that every student can follow the educational path that best suits their wishes and competencies. The partnership should result in a better alignment of study programmes and facilitate the transfer of students between programmes at both institutions.

Additional efforts will also be made to improve student and study career guidance and study choice information in secondary education. Besides reducing the drop-out rate, the ambition is to make the regional labour market more visible to (prospective) students. This is done in cooperation with several regional partners.

The covenant builds on the long-standing cooperation between the two institutions. Windesheim students from several bachelor's programmes can already take a pre-master at UT during their studies, saving them time and allowing them to progress to a master's programme more smoothly.

Increasing societal impact in the region

With closer cooperation, Windesheim and UT hope to gain greater significance in regional economic and societal issues. This involves various authorities, social organisations and the business community in the Zwolle region. A joint research programme is being developed to strengthen the regional innovation ecosystem. This will initially focus on sectors such as Manufacturing Industry, Plastics, Care Technology and Energy Transition. UT and Windesheim are also looking together at the educational offering for employees of the regional business community, as part of their Lifelong Learning activities.

Complementary

"A cooperation like this is good for our Zwolle region, for students who can move on and for entrepreneurs for exchanging knowledge and application at companies," Inge Grimm, chair of the Executive Board of Windesheim University of Applied Sciences, explains. "We offer accessible education from a broad range - MBO, HBO and University - and are in touch with the professional field. New solutions can be implemented faster because of these strong connections. Our students, entrepreneurs, but also our teachers and researchers reap the benefits."

"Together, but also with the other education partners and the regional labour market, we are faced with the task of realising a complementary and high-quality educational offering for the eastern Netherlands that is geared towards the transitions in technology, care and education," said Vinod Subramaniam, chairman of the University of Twente's Executive Board. "Clinching this cooperation is a substantial step in increasing our clout."

L.P.W. van der Velde MSc (Laurens)
Spokesperson Executive Board (EB)