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Finance and Control was one of the first AD programmes in the Netherlands as well as the first where students could move on to the Finance and Control bachelor's programme without any barriers: this is known as the 2 plus 2 route. Nowadays, students can move on to no less than three programmes. Focus is on the future of finance, it is not just about numbers anymore. We have completely different people doing the course now than we had 30 years ago. It's no longer just about profits, figures and filling in Excel sheets. We are now educating people who will soon have the courage to say to their director that a certain decision may make money in the short term but will have a major impact on the environment or society in the long run and thus would not be a wise move.'
'Poppen observes that in today's financial industry, this mentality is increasingly required of employees. 'People who look beyond and keep up with economic and social changes. We pay attention to this during the programme as well. It's no longer just about making hard profits, but there is a need for knowledge as well as an eye for social, ecological and sustainable aspects. We are in the midst of a transition to a meaningful economy and at NHL Stenden we are fortunate to be conducting research on this topic, which we integrate into the programme.'
This fits in with the ideals of most young people, Poppen observes. Still, he says, more attention could be paid to this new interpretation. 'There is really a 'war on talent' going on. Many people in this industry are now entering retirement. This is something my colleague recently discussed in the newspaper 'Dagblad van het Noorden'. Big companies are itching to hire recent graduates as well as invest in their employees. The Associate Degree then is a great opportunity for people to combine studying and working at the same time. I think we will develop the programme still further over the next ten years. The jobs we educate for have been in the top five of the UWV's (Employee Insurance Agency) promising jobs for years and will remain so for quite some time.'
The 10th anniversary celebrations will be on 20 and 21 April, The 10th anniversary celebrations will be on 20 and 21 April, and will coincide with the meeting of the LOOFC which this time takes place in Leeuwarden.