Five questions for: Pieter Hoesktra

THE INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS CREATED EVERY DAY AT WATERCAMPUS LEEUWARDEN REQUIRE PRACTICAL IMPLEMENTATION. MBO [SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION] GRADUATES PLAY A KEY ROLE HERE. IN RECENT YEARS, THE CENTRE FOR INNOVATIVE CRAFTSMANSHIP WATER (CIV WATER) HAS EMERGED AS A DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM FOR INNOVATIVE SECONDARY VOCATIONAL EDUCATION IN THE WATER SECTOR. WHAT DOES CIV WATER MEAN FOR EDUCATION AND THE WATER SECTOR? WE ASKED CIV WATER

The thinking hands of the water sector

What does CIV Water do?

We focus on the development of students and working MBO graduates as versatile professionals. Together with the education sector and the industry, we create various development paths. We organize learning events where education and business meet. Because water technology is not a self-evident part of technical MBO programmes in the Netherlands, we are developing water technology teaching modules which these programmes can use. We provide practical courses on water technology for employees of companies such as technical installation companies, pump builders or production companies.

Why is innovation in water technology education so important?

The practical demands of the business community should be central to technical MBO education. Unfortunately, this is not always the case within traditional education. The gap between theory and practice within the programme and between business and education is too great. We are working with partners from the business community and the educational sector to develop hybrid education. Within the concept, students work on case studies that require the direct practical application of their theoretical knowledge. Once fully developed, the hybrid model can serve as an educational model for other disciplines— there is also a need for innovative forms of education that unite theory and practice outside the water technology sector.

You are located at the WaterCampus; what is the added value of that?

We work closely with partners affiliated with the WaterCampus. Wafilin, for example, a specialist in innovative membrane systems, is our partner in developing hybrid education. Students can use the test facilities at the Water Application Centre (WAC) of the Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences. The WaterCampus is a place where a lot of knowledge comes together and cross-pollinates. This is the best place for us.

What are you doing on a European level?

With financial support from Brussels, CIV Water is developing a knowledge exchange platform with five regions: Malta, Scotland, Latvia, Czech Republic and Belgium. We want to exchange students and teachers and share knowledge. We have extensive knowledge on educational innovation and water management. A country like Malta is specialized in drinking water desalination. Our groundwater salinity is rising, and a company like Vitens can benefit a lot from this knowledge.

What are the plans for 2021?

Our European platform’s activities are on the back burner right now, due to coronavirus. We hope that this will change in 2021. One of our goals is to offer MBO students the opportunity to gain experience abroad. I sometimes refer to MBO students as the ‘thinking hands’ in the water sector. It is important that they, like university and college students, are able to develop optimally. An internship abroad, where you can acquire not only new knowledge but also life experience, is part of that.

Pieter Hoesktra