Inspiring Visit to Brainport Industries Campus Strengthens Vision for MICS

On Thursday the 3rd of April, MICS organised an inspiring working visit to the Brainport Industries Campus (BIC) in Eindhoven. A diverse delegation from education, business and government – including Councillor Cemil Kahramanoglu (Education, Municipality of Schiedam) – travelled to this high-tech region to gain insights and ideas for the further development of MICS in Schiedam.

Programme
The Brainport region is widely recognised as a leading example of successful collaboration between education, industry and government. The programme included presentations by Summa College and Avans University of Applied Sciences, offering a behind-the-scenes look at how BIC contributes to the development of technical talent. At K3D, participants saw first-hand the powerful connection between hands-on practice and education. The Brabant Development Agency (BOM) also shared valuable insights on how to establish successful innovation programmes.

Takeaways for MICS
Participants were given a tour of the campus and took part in a brainstorming session to explore how the Brainport model could be translated to the Schiedam context. During the discussion round, Councillor Kahramanoglu emphasised the importance of a shared vision on educational innovation within MICS. He also encouraged educators to take an active role in shaping the campus:
“There is a real opportunity here to offer young people in the region a sustainable future – and we’re taking that on together.”

What stood out was the strong engagement of all participants, who saw opportunities not only for young people, but also for career switchers and skilled professionals. Martin Rodenburg (Avans University of Applied Sciences) highlighted the importance of lifelong learning, especially in light of an ageing workforce and the declining number of young technical talents.

The visit concluded with a networking reception where ideas for the Schiedam campus were discussed further. Lydia Buist-Izelaar, Project Director of SchieDistrict, summed up the day perfectly:
“We’ve been on the right track from the very beginning. This visit confirms that.”