‘Thinking together about possibilities’
In this section, you’ll get to know one of the colleagues from the national Beethoven network a little better. Who are they, what do they do, and what inspires them? This time, we’re shining the spotlight on Suzan Leydesdorff, Beethoven project leader at Inholland University of Applied Sciences.
Suzan Leydesdorff has been the Beethoven project leader at Inholland since September 2025. When she saw the job description, she found herself thinking quite often: ‘Semiconductors? I really don’t know anything about that’. But the vacancy explicitly called for skills in which Suzan, as an educationalist, does indeed have a great deal of expertise. ‘Innovation and learning, change management, bringing people together around innovation processes. Yes, that does appeal to me. Thinking together about possibilities, removing barriers and collaborating with external partners from within higher education. I was up for the challenge and decided to apply.’
That job application went well. The project leader, who combines this role with other responsibilities relating to educational reform within the university of applied sciences, soon became familiar with the ins and outs – and, above all, the staffing challenges – of the SEMI sector. ‘The urgency is high,’ says Suzan. ‘The demand for well-trained staff is enormous. But I do believe that, in collaboration with all partners in the Beethoven programme, we can do a great deal and achieve a lot. Personally, I find it distressing, for example, that so many young women with the right knowledge and skills are still leaving the sector so quickly because it is still not inclusive enough. We really need to do something about that. Fix the system, change the culture, let’s get to work!’
Each region has its own character
According to Suzan, all regions in the Beethoven network are of vital importance when it comes to training technical talent. She likes the fact that each region has its own character, its own identity. ‘For us, the link with space and aerospace is a key focus,’ she says. ‘At Inholland, Delft campus, we have been training higher professional education students in aerospace technology since 2004. This unique higher professional education programme offers students the chance to follow a practically oriented vocational course in a sector where, otherwise, only a university degree is available. By coordinating closely with TU Delft, we ensure that we continue to strengthen each other’s position in this programme. Are these students lost to the semiconductor sector? Certainly not. Only a fraction of these students will ultimately work in the aerospace industry. Upon graduation, they are systems engineers who also possess all the skills required in the semiconductor sector. Cleanroom skills, photonics, working under extreme conditions – it’s all there. Given the current demand and the match with their knowledge and skills, working in the semiconductor sector after this programme is also a very logical step. We also inspire them in this direction by introducing them to the sector during their studies.’
Learning community
One specific project funded in part by the Beethoven grants is the so-called Learning Community Space Engineering, led by Inholland University of Applied Sciences. Suzan explains: ‘It is a broad community in which students and lecturers from vocational education (MBO), higher professional education (HBO) and university education (WO) work together with the business community on the development of a new satellite. And that satellite is actually going into space! The diverse academic disciplines and levels of students and lecturers, combined with experience from the business sector, create a valuable mix of different perspectives, knowledge and experience, which should lead to a satellite that functions optimally. I think it’s a brilliant initiative. Exciting? Definitely, but we’re convinced that you achieve more together than alone. What’s more, the momentum is there now, and Beethoven is also providing the opportunities. The biggest challenge is to secure this collaboration and make it sustainable.’
Another concrete example of a collaboration that has emerged from the Beethoven funding is the ‘Study Tech in NL’ recruitment campaign, in which the participating universities of applied sciences are committed to attracting international technical talent to technical degree programmes in the Netherlands, with a particular focus on programmes linked to the semiconductor industry. Suzan: ‘The campaign highlights the opportunities the Netherlands offers for studying engineering here and subsequently contributing to the technology sector.’
Lateral entry and post-HBO
After a year in her role as Beethoven project leader at Inholland, Suzan remains as enthusiastic as ever. ‘I certainly won’t get bored.
There’s plenty to do. For example, when I look at career changers and the issues surrounding post-HBO education and lifelong learning. There’s a growing need for engineers who not only possess specialist technical knowledge, but who can also think holistically in terms of systems, life cycles and manufacturability, and who can work in extreme working environments. There are plenty of interesting challenges we’ll be tackling in the near future. I particularly like how, partly thanks to Beethoven, our collaborative processes are running ever more smoothly. We need each other, and I think we’re all well aware of that.’