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“At the English-taught Information Technology programme in Emmen, you get to work with students from about 35 different countries, from Vietnam to Mexico. That diversity is the success of the course, because all those different backgrounds make it interesting. And it can help you in your career as many large IT companies are international. Suppose you want to set up IT systems for the Olympics with Atos, then you’ll be dealing with experts from all over the world. During the course, you’ll have already learned to work with people from other cultures.”
Learning by doing
“Studying with us attracts students from abroad because we have a high level of education in the Netherlands. NHL Stenden is then often chosen because of our philosophy: learning by doing. If you like to read books and listen to lectures, then you may be better off choosing another institute because it’s not how we work. But if you enjoy being presented with a customer's problem, taking the initiative yourself and solving the problem as a group, then this course is perfect for you. Through practical experience like this, you learn how to make a direct contribution.
The perception amongst international students is often that in Information Technology you only learn to program, but that’s only one of the course’s pillars. You’ll also learn all kinds of professional skills, such as communication and leadership. You’re only suitable for the professional field if you not only know how to solve a problem, but also how to deal with companies.
The 'Innovate' project at the end of the first year is particularly interesting. During this project, students build an innovative product that doesn’t yet exist. Foreign students pointed out, for example, that students in the Netherlands often bike to school, but quickly get a flat tyre because the tyre pressure is too low. They came up with a bike stand that measures tyre pressure and displays it in a mobile application so that you know when you need to pump the tyre up.”
International students contribute
“I sometimes get asked why it is necessary for international students to study with us when they then take home what they’ve learned. But I see something else happening. Over the space of four years, our international students come into contact with the Dutch business community. More than half of them then stay here and contribute to our society. We desperately need that in our field as there is an extreme shortage of IT specialists.”