Internationalisation of education

We are the Future   

The vision We are the Future is formulated as follows: "Within 5 years, all schools in the Brainport region have embedded internationalisation in their policies as part of a broader Brainport education vision and this has been translated into activities in collaboration with multi-helix partners." The focus is on child care, primary education (pe), secondary education (se) and secondary vocational education (mbo). By internationalisation we mean:

Language skills

Language proficiency in one or more foreign languages is a basic prerequisite for being able to function in international contexts. English is a world language and, as a result, the most important language in science, business and industry. In addition to English, other foreign languages such as French, German, Spanish, Arabic and Chinese are also important. In addition to English, children of international parents also need mother-tongue education and Dutch (NT2).

World citizenship

Cultural awareness is about knowledge of other countries and cultures. The willingness to immerse oneself in the people of these countries and cultures and to give meaning to cultural practices. This strengthens the capacity for international reflection. The potential impact of events elsewhere can be translated by pupils and teachers into their own environment and vice versa. This allows them to understand the different cultural perspectives.

Intercultural communication and cooperation skills

International cooperation goes beyond understanding cultural diversity. It is also about taking this diversity into account and building relationships of trust in various collaborations. It includes the ability to reflect on communication styles and to adapt one's own style to the environment and background of the cooperation partners. 

How do we work on this with Brainport Development?

In order to support internationalisation in the region, we are focusing on the following areas: 

Primary & secondary education approach

In order to (further) internationalise education in the region, a number of activities are required for primary and secondary education. These activities can be subdivided into: 

1. Specific activities:  

• Regional coordinators give advice to individual schools on how to take concrete action and organise things

• Professionalisation and training based on the specific context and needs of educational institutions 

2. Generic activities:  

• International cooperation: five pre-university and three mbo schools start with a cooperation pilot with the Spanish Basque Country with the aim of structurally promoting mutual world citizenship

• Events and workshops that deal with themes that all educational institutions can concretely work with. 

• Professionalisation and training on generic topics such as language skills, world citizenship and intercultural communication and cooperation 

Childcare approach

In the childcare sector, employees have noticed that an increasing number of children from internationals are among their customers. In order to meet the needs of this group as well, we are investing in the further internationalisation of the training of pedagogical staff members/educational assistants. In addition, we will also invest in the level of English and the 'cultural awareness' of the pedagogical staff.

Mbo approach

It is important for all future employees that they are 'internationally competent'. This requires the mbo to invest in the internationalisation of their programmes, for example by offering English language or bilingual programmes, but also by improving the intercultural cooperation skills of the students.