On Friday, September 13, students in the Vonk Hospitality entry-level program launched a canteen project at the Technology Campus in Den Helder. The school canteen will then become a work-study facility run by the Hospitality entry-level students. An entry-level program is a one-year vocational (MBO) program at level 1, where students receive additional support and guidance.
Under the guidance of Vonk lecturers Ted Kroes and Diederik Stiensma, and teaching assistant Abdullah Senozan, the students will provide lunch four days a week for the Vonk and Tetrix technology students who attend classes at the Technology Campus. In addition, the introductory students will be involved in catering for meetings, events, and activities.
Context-rich learning environment
The school cafeteria at the Techniekcampus is a context-rich learning environment for newcomers, allowing them to immediately become acquainted with the profession they are being trained for. Teacher Kroes explains why this location was chosen: "Practical learning is especially important for this group of students, and this work-study location also provides a safe learning environment where they can develop professional skills at their own pace. In addition to practical subjects, they will also take general education (AVO) subjects like Dutch and math in the school cafeteria. Practical and theoretical subjects go hand in hand there."“
Real-life handling of peak moments
One of the participating students is Fethy. He chose the hospitality program because his father owns restaurants on Texel. Fethy is excited to get started on this project: "If you really want to learn the trade, you have to do it in real life. They are real customers, so you have to work professionally. In a school cafeteria, you also have to deal with short peaks when it's very busy. You can only learn to manage that stress in a real-life situation."“
When learning is not self-evident
Miranda Kramer, education manager for the entrance program, is also proud of this new learning-work location: "Entry program students prefer to learn at a real learning-work location, and that's what we offer. You can see that Vonk dares to be innovative with these kinds of new projects and is capable of providing contemporary and innovative entry-level education."“
EntranceNH
To provide flexible, customized entry-level education in North Holland, Vonk collaborates with Talland, businesses, and municipalities within EntreeNH. The goal is to jointly improve the opportunities for people for whom learning and working are not a given for employment or further education.
Spark entry-level training courses
Vonk offers pre-vocational secondary education (VMBO), intermediate vocational education (MBO), and corporate training from 12 locations in North Holland, making it the leading vocational training provider in the region. Vonk offers entry-level training in various disciplines in Den Helder and Schagen. Besides hospitality, we also offer courses in technology, healthcare, landscaping, logistics, and sales. Visit www.vonknh.nl/mbo/opleidingen/entree for more information about entry-level training.
