The Brabant network for student teams is continuing to expand: Fontys signed the BOOST covenant for Brabant a Brabant wide student team ecosystem. With this addition, the partnership now consists of eleven educational institutions in the province of North Brabant. Together, they are working to make student teams accessible to students at all levels of education, from vocational (mbo) to university.

The covenant for Brabant student teams is one of the programme components of BOOST and forms the foundation for long-term collaboration between educational institutions. With Fontys joining, the network is further strengthened, providing improved access to student teams for more than 40,000 Fontys students across Brabant.

Joep Houterman, Chair of the Executive Board of Fontys, explains the decision to join:

At Fontys, we believe that students learn best by working together on real-world challenges. By joining BOOST, we create more opportunities for students to discover and develop their talents, together with students from other educational levels.

Joep Houterman signs the ‘Brabant Student Teams’ covenant on behalf of Fontys - Photo: Charlotte Grips

Education as a spectrum of talents

The eleven participating educational institutions share a common vision of education. Education is not viewed as a ladder, but as a spectrum of talents, in which practical and theoretical learning are considered equally valuable. The agreements make it easier for students to participate in student teams at other institutions. In addition, student teams can serve as learning environments for internships, minors and educational assignments for students from different schools. This strengthens collaboration between institutions and stimulates learning with and from one another.

Maarten van den Elshout, board member of BOOST and Fontys alumnus, highlights the value of student teams:

During my Mechatronics studies, I joined student team IGNITE by chance. I enjoyed it so much that I later completed my third-year internship within TU/ecomotive as well. Through collaboration with mbo and university students, and with companies from the region, I learned more than I ever could have in a classroom. The student teams offered me unique opportunities and became a springboard for discovering my talents. It is valuable that, thanks to this covenant, these learning experiences are now even more accessible for Fontys students.