The training and examination center for civil engineering and civil construction

In 2015, SPG Zuid-Holland, Techniek College Rotterdam, Municipality of Schiedam together with consulting partner Nehem embarked on a Public-Private Partnership. Zuid-Holland Infra Park (ZIP) and its partner have invested to provide contemporary education for new intake, students and workers in civil and civil engineering. Consultancy partner Nehem supports the partners in realizing its ambitions and making ZIP more sustainable. 

Practice shows that it is not always easy to get education and business to work together. Therefore, setting up the ZIP requires more intensive cooperation between education and business. Not always an easy task because there are also legal obstacles that make a change in vocational education difficult. And that is not what the business community is waiting for. If we want to train the professional for the future, vocational education will also have to change with them.

Now fully utilized after a difficult start
"SPG Zuid-Holland and Techniek college Rotterdam are on the right track," says Rob van Dalen, ZIP operations manager. "After a difficult start due to the crisis we were still in the middle of, we now see that ZIP is being fully utilized. In addition to regular vocational education, there are all kinds of training issues that we can fill. Practical training, taking aptitude tests and providing practical exams. In addition to companies affiliated with SPG making use of this, individual companies, municipality and educational institutions can also let their employees and students make use of the possibilities at ZIP."

Zuid-Holland Infra Park is also involved in Strong Engineering Education. In which the SPG has a lot to offer:

• Information
  SPG offers the opportunity to provide information in schools about the professional and training opportunities in infra. This can be done in 1st and 2nd year for choosing electives and 3rd and 4th year for choosing an advanced course.
• Guest Lectures
  SPG provides guest lessons by deploying an instructor. This can be organized at school, but also at the Zuid-Holland Infra Park in Schiedam.
• Occupational Orientation
  At the Zuid-Holland Infra Park, students can follow a vocational orientation in order to make the right choice later on. Are you a thinker or a doer, |do you go to the BOL or the BBL.
• Elective Infra
  SPG facilitates teaching and students who choose the infra elective. Teaching materials, practical space, equipment, tools and instructor are available for this purpose.
• Company excursion
  SPG organizes company excursions to affiliated learning companies. The aim is to show what the companies are working on every day to make the Netherlands more beautiful.
• Sneak internship - Internship
  To get a better idea of what working and learning entails, you can do a taster internship at SPG. You can also do an internship at one of our affiliated training companies.
• Professional practice (BPV)
  SPG offers young people who want to work and learn in civil engineering a BPV for levels 2 and 3 with job guarantee. This in cooperation with an MBO educational institution.
• Support
  SPG Infra values good supervision and works with its affiliated apprenticeships learning masters, instructors, training coordinators, bpv teachers and guest lecturers to support this.

Exam Sewer.

Techniek College Rotterdam
For Techniek College Rotterdam, Zuid-Holland Infra Park (ZIP) is a distinctive training location for the world of civil engineering. Together, the established partners (SPG Zuid-Holland and Techniek College Rotterdam) offer contemporary education here to new inflow of students, apprentices and employees. Within ZIP there is intensive cooperation between education and business. Practice has shown that legal barriers hinder the connection between vocational education and business. The realization of ZIP has strengthened the cooperation and connection with the business community.

Rob: "We value good supervision of students and apprentices and together with the affiliated training companies, apprenticeship masters, instructors, training coordinators, bpv teachers and guest lecturers ensure that this is achieved. Our common goal is to train the craftsman/woman of the future."

Great need to professionals
During the crisis, it was difficult for students to get jobs in the construction industry. Recently, the construction market has been picking up and there is a great need for skilled workers. According to forecasts, this will only get better in the coming years. Lisette Ketting, education team leader of the infra courses, says: "We are happy that the market is picking up. We are therefore working extremely hard every day to train good professionals, and thanks to the great efforts of my team we have once again been awarded the TOP training designation this year. A token of appreciation of which we are proud."