Discover Benelux | Top Dutch Education | Building a Bright Future
Hybrid learning, the future of education TEXT: EVA MENGER | PHOTOS: NOVA COLLEGE
With 12,000 students, Nova College is not a particularly small school, yet they have managed to create an intimate feeling. Knowing everyone well is their strength: not just because it makes students feel safe, but because it allows teachers to respond to individual needs. The school is particularly proud of their hospitality programme, which has repeatedly been awarded a seal of excellence based on high student satisfaction. v “The quality of our hotel school is incredible,” director of the school’s Haarlem branch and the school’s economic de42 | Issue 64 | April 2019
partment Annemieke van Ede tells us. Sitting within the economics department, the school’s hospitality courses include facility management, general management, chef training, host/hostessing and fast service. Van Ede: “We work closely with hotels and restaurants throughout the area to develop bespoke curricula. This way, our students learn how to develop themselves both in and outside the classroom.” When selecting business partners, Nova College ensures that there is a learning culture, with plenty of space for students to make mistakes. That is why the presence of a highly skilled and experienced
mentor is key. With a comprehensive knowledge of the industry as well as an ability to recognise the importance of personal development, these mentors are needed to coach students in their learning paths.
Hybridity Nova College promotes hybrid education, which means that they work with different formats to provide learning plans that suit the needs of individual students. This multidimensional approach helps teachers prepare their students for their career as well as their general citizenship. “A student’s professional capabilities are in-