The Digital Industry Boost (DIB) consortium is investing seven million euros over the next four years in a better connection between education and business. In particular, further training and retraining for technical professions in the region around Eindhoven will be strengthened.
This partnership of Fontys Hogeschool, Mikrocentrum, Summa College, Brainport Industries, EdiH partners (European Digital Innovation Hubs) and the province of North Brabant has received a grant from the Ministry of Economic Affairs for that amount.
The intention is to give an impulse to the manufacturing industry in the Brainport region, where changes are taking place at a rapid pace. In four years, a knowledge ecosystem must be created, in which cooperation between education and business is commonplace. Within that system, professionals can develop their knowledge flexibly and in response to demand, as educational institutions cooperate across their own borders.
Ella Hueting, Fontys Engineering director, notes that fewer and fewer young people are choosing engineering. As a result, the hbo will focus more on retraining and refresher courses for workers. The various educational partners are developing a continuous learning line from secondary education through intermediate vocational and higher professional education to master's degree programs. By offering both public and private training opportunities, the cooperation partners are experimenting to respond faster, more flexible and demand-oriented to the needs of the business community. In addition to training opportunities, students work with companies on practice-oriented innovation projects in hybrid learning environments.
