Cross-border Education Symposium brings together education, government and the business community
Overcoming boundaries and strengthening talent – this is the common goal that brought education professionals, administrators and business representatives from the Netherlands and Germany together for the Cross-border Education Symposium 2025. Saxion colleagues from various schools and Education and Student Support were also present in Münster to network and be inspired by cross-border education projects.
In a region where borders are becoming less of an obstacle, cooperation is essential to give pupils and students the right skills (euregional competences). This enables us to contribute to a 360-degree labour market. The meeting, organised by the Interreg projects “Euregionale doorlopende leerlijn” (EDL) and ”Euregionale Kenniswerkplaatsen” (EKW) offered a valuable platform to share experiences, gain new insights and find joint solutions to the challenges within cross-border education and the labour market.
“Cross-border cooperation is important to us due to Saxion's location on the border with Germany," says Janco Bonnink, Director of Education and Student Support. “Our education and research activities as well as projects such as EDL, are good examples of this. We were able to talk during the symposium about how we can strengthen this collaboration with other stakeholders from government, business and education.”
Janco Bonnink during the panel discussion, © Ute Friederike Schernau
Inspiring speakers and interactive sessions
After the opening and welcome by Mayor Angela Stähler of the City of Münster and a video message from Mayor Roelof Bleker of the municipality of Enschede, speakers Matthias Schmied (Bezirksregierung Münster), Erwin Hoogland (Province of Overijssel), Joris Bengevoord (Chairman EUREGIO) and Fridse Mobach (Executive Board ROC Twente) shared their vision on Dutch-German cooperation in education. Fontys professor Vincent Pijnenburg concluded the plenary programme. In his keynote speech, he emphasised the importance of euregional competences in education and for the labour market in the border region.
Workshops and panel discussions offered participants insights into innovative teaching methods, teaching materials for education in their neighbouring language as well as the profile of the ideal cross-border worker. One of the highlights was the “Make & Escape” workshop, where teachers were able to try out digital tools (including even a drone). The workshop “Talent for the Cross-border labour market” offered valuable insights into how companies can remain attractive to cross-border workers and how education can contribute to this.
Workshop Talent for the Cross-border labour market, © Ute Friederike Schernau
Working together on the future
EDL Project Manager Barbara Verbeek of the municipality of Enschede looks back with satisfaction: “This symposium has strengthened valuable networks and deepened partnerships. The very fact that we have come together here with so many stakeholders from the border region is an important milestone. It shows that together we are giving cross-border education a more concrete form and that we are building a stronger cross-border labour market.”
Marike Lammers of the Saxion Educational Innovation Hub agrees. “The project offers a fantastic incentive for co-creation with partners. In the Hub, we work on broad projects including educational innovations that are relevant to Saxion and society. This doesn’t stop at the border.”
The Symposium brought together education, government and the business community, © Ute Friederike Schernau
Saxion as a project partner in EDL
Saxion is a project partner in the Interreg project “Euregionale Doorlopende Leerlijn”. The project brings together various initiatives that offer pupils and students various opportunities to acquire Euregional competences and become better acquainted with their neighbouring country during their time at school and studying.
Saxion is responsible for the EDL Expertise Centre and for research into euregional competences and the profile of the ideal cross-border worker. The Expertise Centre provides students and lecturers with teaching materials, advice and workshops on education in their neighbouring language. The Employability Transition Research Group is carrying out research into the profile of the ideal cross-border worker.
The results of the symposium will be taken into account in the future activities of the EDL project.
More about the EDL-project
Euregio.eu
EDL project partners, © Ute Friederike Schernau
The EDL-project is subsidised by the European Regional Development Fund. The following Interreg partners have also contributed: Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy and the Province of Overijssel on the Dutch side and the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Industry, Climate and Energy NRW (Ministerium für Wirtschaft, Industrie, Klima und Energie NRW) on the German side.
