Conflict Resolution Expert Adrian Borggreve Lectures Wittenborg Students

https://www.wittenborg.eu/navigating-cultural-diversity-work.htm

Increased cultural diversity in companies calls for the ability to work productively with people from different backgrounds – which is why business students at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences recently got a masterclass from Dutch conflict resolution expert Prof. Adrian Borggreve who has decades of experience under his belt – which includes training the Lithuanian parliament in negotiation skills.

Borggreve delivered a guest lecture earlier this month under the theme: "Disputes and Conflicts in a Cross-Cultural Business Context", part of the Intercultural Management module for undergraduates. It was well-received by Wittenborg's diverse body of international students who recognised many of the challenges they sometimes face in an intercultural setting and the lessons they have learned.

Borggreve stressed the importance of cultural intelligence for effective negotiation in a business setting. "Why? Because managers cannot expect to negotiate only with people of their own country or culture throughout their career. Negotiations between people of different cultures often stir up deeply held values and beliefs. Behaviours that seem normative in our culture often create controversy in others."

He cautioned students about being sensitive to what other cultures deem appropriate or not appropriate behaviour and what they value. "Be prepared to manage bureaucratic interactions with governments, avoid arguing the inherent legitimacy of a social system, understand the norms and the meaning underlying them," Borggreve explained.

Uptick in Number of Students Attending Orientation Week

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-welcomes-new-group-students-around-world.htm

While student numbers have taken a dive worldwide, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences saw a promising uptick in its second intake for the academic year with more new students attending Introduction Week activities this week than in September. Wittenborg has six entry dates per year.  

New students came from Germany, Nigeria, Vietnam, Iran, Rwanda, Russia, the Netherlands, China, India, the US, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Mozambique, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Libya, Ukraine and Indonesia. While many students attend the orientation activities in person, others followed online – whether they are in the Netherlands or outside the country, according to Wittenborg's Head of Operations, Lasantha de Silva.  

Wittenborg continues to observe government regulations in trying to curb the spread of COVID-19 – including promoting the wearing of face masks, keeping social distancing, encouraging students and staff to wash their hands and limiting the number of students in classes.  

While the COVID-19 situation remains uncertain, many countries – like those in Africa – have opened up international travel. De Silva said it is hard to determine students' thinking in weighing up whether they want to pause their studies despite the pandemic or not. "It could be that students are adapting to the situation and navigating life around the pandemic in a safe way – a shift in mindset perhaps."

The first intake was in September and De Silva said Wittenborg will soon review whether its adoption of the hybrid learning model – in-person teaching combined with online teaching – has proven effective.

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences joins an online celebration of the UN's 75th Birthday

https://www.wittenborg.eu/join-wittenborg-ceo-live-event-75-years-united-nations-75-years-peace-freedom-saturday-17-october

Maggie Feng, CEO of Wittenborg will join the online celebration of “75 Years Of United Nations, 75 Years Of Peace & Freedom” , organised to mark 75 years of the United Nations, taking place at 3 p.m. this coming Saturday afternoon. The event highlights 75 years of peace & freedom and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN, Agenda 2030.

17 SDGs incorporate an action plan for people, planet and prosperity, peace and freedom, the eradication of poverty and hunger, and the conditions for sustainable development. In today's uncertain circumstances, with populations worldwide facing the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, the SDGs are more important and relevant than ever.

Maggie Feng will showcase the actions that Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences has taken in the past few years to make the world more connected via the international classroom.

Feel free to JOIN  LIVESTREAM via: https://medialive.nl/vn/20201017/ on SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER, 3 P.M - 4:15 P.M.

Project Weeks - Developing Well-Rounded Students

The organisation strives to facilitate and encourage international students to contribute to a more connected local society in Apeldoorn, to bring topics like the UN and climate change into the classroom via simulations, confronting and challenging international students with the complexity of global issues that require a collaborative approach internationally.  

No Additional COVID-19 Restrictions for Dutch Education Sector

https://www.wittenborg.eu/covid-19-wittenborg-renews-call-students-and-staff-wear-face-masks-inside-buildings.htm

The Dutch education sector has been spared any additional COVID-19 regulations with prime minister Mark Rutte saying that "education is too important" to impose more restrictions. However, other sectors – like restaurants, bars and cafés – were not able to escape as the government announced a partial lockdown for at least a month as of Wednesday 10 p.m. with a series of new regulations.   

Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences has renewed its call on students and staff to wear face masks inside buildings and to observe other safety precautions, like keeping a social distance of 1.5 m, regularly washing hands and limiting the number of people in classrooms.

The government is currently drafting legislation which would allow them to make the wearing of masks indoors compulsory. In the meantime, people are urgently advised to do so when going into supermarkets, shops, libraries and other buildings. If passed, this will also apply to the entire higher education sector. 

New regulations include:

As Corona Economy Makes it Harder for Students to Find Internships, One Wittenborg Student Goes Old-School

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-student-now-intern-european-association-urology-after-making-cold-call.htm

Faced with the dilemma of finding an internship in the trying times of COVID-19, Wittenborg student Busola Awosika resorted to an unusual approach to find a work placement. Instead of applying online, which is how most vacancies are filled these days, she decided to go old-school and make a cold call to the company's headquarters in Arnhem. And it worked. This week she started as a marketing intern at the European Association of Urology, which represents urology professionals from around the world.

Busola is in her final year of doing an IBA in Marketing Communication & Information at Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences. Originally from Nigeria, but living in the Netherlands for the past 3 years, she hopes to graduate early next year.

Facing many rejection letters for internships, Busola decided to change her approach to finding an internship. "I live close to the offices of the European Association of Urology in Arnhem and walked there one day. While at the reception I saw a lady, told her my background and about my search for an internship. It turned out she is the head of the association's Guidelines Office.

"After sending in my CV and application letter, I got a call from the human resources manager. Initially they were trying to find me a position in the marketing office, but there weren't any, so now I am the first marketing intern for the Guidelines Office.

What Higher Education can Learn from Corporate Training Practices in Time of Corona

https://www.wittenborg.eu/teachers-who-master-hybrid-learning-will-rule-online-training-world.htm

As many universities continue to adapt to hybrid education a month into the new academic year, Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences tapped into the expertise of professional corporate trainer Tim Birdsall to learn how companies have dealt with workplace learning in a time of corona to keep developing employees’ skillsets.

Birdsall said organisational tiredness is currently one of the biggest challenges for companies. “Many of my customers are complaining they are simply drained from months of constantly being in front of the computer, fielding zoom calls, etc.,” Birdsall said in an online interview with Wittenborg President, Peter Birdsall.

Tim trains soft skills development in corporate environments, such as team building, sales training, leadership training, change management, conflict management, coaching and negotiation skills.

Peter: “From September, every student at Wittenborg must have a laptop. It makes it easier to share screens and PowerPoints rather than pointing a camera at a PowerPoint.”

Minister to Answer Questions on Dubious Recruitment Practices at Public Universities

https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-letter-raised-dutch-parliament.htm

A letter sent by Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences to the Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science on the dubious methods some agencies employ to recruit international students for public universities, was raised in parliament by MPs last week via written questions. A reply by the Minister, Ingrid van Engelshoven, is expected in the next two weeks as part of the department of education's budget vote for the next finance year.

Last year, Wittenborg called on Dutch education authorities to look into allegations that recruitment agencies are fast-tracking international students into research universities despite not having a qualification that is equivalent to the national requirement.

Agencies are allegedly recruiting international students who do not qualify for admission to Dutch universities, offering them a costly “transition-year programme”, which is then taken care of by the agencies themselves. However, to comply with the requirements of a study permit, students are registered at partnering universities. Among them are students who do not have the equivalent of a VWO diploma – the general criteria for admission to a research university in the Netherlands. The high school diplomas in many countries like China, Indonesia and Russia only meet the Dutch HAVO level, which is not eligible for entry into a research university. That means Dutch HAVO school leavers are effectively discriminated against as they do meet the criteria.

Career Webinar by Olfertjan Niemeijer, founder of Independent Recruiters

https://www.wittenborg.eu/cv-cover-letter-webinar-olfertjan-niemeijer.htm

Crafting a good and effective Curriculum Vitae (CV) and cover letter is not easy, as some Wittenborg students realised during a Career Workshop held on 23rd September, 2020. The webinar, organised by Wittenborg’s External Relations Department, was conducted by Olfertjan Niemeijer, founder of Independent Recruiters Group.

Niemeijer, who has 28 years’ experience in the recruiting business, demonstrated to students what matters in a CV and cover letter in the context of the Netherlands. He also discussed what influences applicants' opportunities and how to market themselves to potential employers.

According to Niemeijer, the most important element in the eyes of the Dutch employers, that will help raise students’ chances of securing an internship or a permanent job, is work experience, especially in Dutch companies.

He advised students not just to list their job experience, but also to highlight those experiences that are most relevant to the vacancy they are applying for. For bachelor’s students who may not have been previously employed, Niemeijer said they should write down any activities (social, sports or educational) or voluntary work they have done before. They could also include the different project works they have completed in college or university, bringing attention to any parts which are relevant to the application.

Status Update on Apeldoorn LONKT Project

https://www.wittenborg.eu/apeldoorn-lonkt-project-status-update.htm

When embarking on a venture, doing project status updates is as important as carrying out the project itself. That was just what the LONKT Project team has done recently. To keep all stakeholders in the loop and aligned on how the project is progressing, an online meeting was conducted on 9th September, 2020. The LONKT (Lokaal Ondernemend Naar een Krachtige Toekomst - Locally Enterprising Towards a Powerful Future) is a project that aims to connect Apeldoorn's ZZPs (the Dutch acronym for self-employed professionals or freelancers) and SMEs, to widen their entrepreneurial networks and other collaboration. Check out our first report on the LONKT project via the link here: https://www.wittenborg.eu/wittenborg-joins-partnership-boost-local-businesses-apeldoorn-lonkt-project.htm

Online Meeting

The LONKT Project, funded by the province of Gelderland, was formally launched on March 28, 2018. The project is led by Apeldoorns Business Collectief (ABC) and supported by five other partners, namely Aventus, VNO-NCWMidden, MKB Midden, Owens Corning and Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences. On 9 September, 2020, the team members met online for a run-down of the progress of the project by Wittenborg representatives, Senior Scientist Dr Nicolet Theunissen and CEO Maggie Feng.

Wear a facemask in all public areas unless in class or sitting behind a desk with 1.5 metre distance from others

https://www.wittenborg.eu/facemasks-compulsory-all-wittenborg-locations-netherlands-monday-5th-october.htm

From Monday, the 5th of October the wearing of facemasks at all Wittenborg University of Applied Sciences locations in the Netherlands will be compulsory for all students and staff unless sitting in a classroom, teaching, or sitting behind a desk with 1.5 m distance from others.

All other COVID-19 policy regulations remain in force. The compulsory wearing a face-mask in public indoor areas is for Wittenborg's Amsterdam location, and the Apeldoorn campus - Spoorstraat 23, Laan van Mensenrechten 500 (Aventus Building) and also at the student accommodation location Ruyterstraat 3. In other student accommodation please adhere to the regulations of that location, and national guidelines.

The Facemask Rule:

    • In all public areas;
    • In all cases indoors when 1.5 metre distance is not possible;

Aventus college also has introduced a compulsory face mask wearing policy from Monday at the Laan van Mensenrechten. This will be in enforced at the entrance to the building

Students studying in Munich, Germany (NEC) and Bad Vöslau, Austria (ITM) must adhere to the regulations of their local college.