It just doesn’t smell like foil in it Practical lecture Zoetermeer. In January, the secondary school for practical education opened a brand new building on Paltelaan. Due to the measures, there was a ‘petit opening’. One class experienced it outside, the rest of the students online. That does not alter the fact that director Han is proud that he can finally open. “Practical education is the most beautiful form of education.”
Originally, the new location was to open after the autumn holidays, but the corona measures threw a spanner in the works. “Fortunately, we can finally get to work,” says Han.
A full program awaits the students. ”The training is very broad in the first two years, but after that you choose a specialization and you are really trained to learn a trade.”
Learning and internships
Preparing students for the labor market is one of the most important pillars of the Praktijkcollege. ”In the third year, you orientate yourself on the labor market thanks to an internship, in order to find out where your talents lie. We carefully look for a suitable place for each student. I think it’s fantastic to see that their talent is used and they get into their element. That is one of the great parts of practical education.” In addition, within the school there is the option of taking the Entrance (MBO1).
Business contacts
The Praktijkcollege has many contacts for finding internships. “As soon as we know which direction the student wants to go, we will look in our network for a nice place. We have a warm relationship with many companies, where there is real interaction. They are happy with the students who come to do their internship and vice versa they experience a lot of job satisfaction. Sometimes a student comes back to us years later to tell us how instructive that period was for them. That’s what you do it for, of course!”
Digital welding machines
What makes the school so unique, according to Han, is the innovation in teaching. “As a society, we are increasingly moving towards the digital side and we want to be at the forefront of this. To start with, all students are given an iPad to work with. But we also recently purchased a virtual welding machine. This allows several students to practice at the same time, instead of pushing the physical device.”
Register yourself
Have you become enthusiastic yourself or do you know someone for whom the Practice College Zoetermeer would be an excellent place to learn? Then read here everything about the school and the application procedure.