Bob Scholten (20) is a Business Studies student in Haarlem and has set up his own car detailing company, ‘Bob Scholten detailing’. What started as a hobby has now grown into a business cleaning the most beautiful cars.

Don't take everything at face value
"I'm always curious about the why and how of things. How does it really work? Why do I have to do it this way? I don't just take something at face value, but always do my own research first. I do this by talking to various professionals, scouring the internet or watching YouTube tutorials."

"I started a car cleaning business and I use all kinds of chemicals for that. I don't just use them without thinking. I want to know everything about them first. Thinking logically gets you a long way, but many professionals also share their experiences on LinkedIn and Instagram. That helps enormously. In the beginning, I looked at different products and didn't consider biodegradability. But now I have products that work well, deliver results and are biodegradable. That's a win-win."

"Sustainable entrepreneurship is important, but as a beginner, it doesn't make sense to make more expensive investments in more sustainable options. I'm taking small steps and I'm proud of that.”

Can it be a little less?
“Entrepreneurship was instilled in me from an early age. I come from a family of entrepreneurs. Many of my friends also have parents who are entrepreneurs. I think that makes it easier to try it yourself."

"I don't just have any old car cleaning business. Detailing is really on another level. My customers are more likely to say “can you tone it down a bit” rather than “it needs to be better”. I make sure that cars are worth more once they've been through my treatment. A car wash sets the machines so that they use as little soap as possible. This increases the chance of dirt from other cars being transferred, which can cause scratches. With me, you get a specific pre-wash, so that as much dirt as possible is removed before I even touch the car. All corners are done with a brush and the interior is delivered in mint condition.”

Maintaining the value of cars
“My customers drive cars in the luxury segment. They appreciate that their cars are well maintained, as this preserves their value. I ensure that they enjoy every journey because their car is a place of peace and cleanliness."

"I visit most of my regular customers at home. My customers are even located in Almere. As a start-up, I am affordable, but I see a lot of potential in jobs such as polishing, coatings and deep cleaning. My ambition is to be able to add various specialities to my range of services. Such as applying film. This protects you against stone chips. I need to take a course for this and invest in machines, rollers and software. I still need to save up for that."

"I get a lot of customers through word of mouth. I see that as a good sign, because customers recommend me. I hope they find my services professional and that they also appreciate my optimistic character. I like to chat and share interesting facts about their cars. If they are considering buying a new car, I am happy to help them make a decision. I have now gained a lot of knowledge in this higher segment."

"Before the summer, I started another business in selling car cleaning products and accessories. So now we sell the chemicals I use for my customers as our own product line under the trade name Glozz.”

It's not always about money
“At SUCH, I followed both the start-up programme and the community programme. These programmes help me to take a step back and look at my business from a helicopter view. Sometimes I get so absorbed in my work that I forget to do that. My participation adds a lot of value to my study time. That's why I chose to study at Inholland, because Start Up Campus Haarlem is part of it. The added value of the group of entrepreneurs, the various workshops and a place where you can develop yourself further are worth their weight in gold to me."

"I learn a lot from the other entrepreneurs in the group, but many of my customers are also entrepreneurs."

"That's what I would always advise others to do. Talk about your ideas with others. You can learn from that. And just get started. Don't overthink it. Most people at school are still young, so what is learnt in the cradle is carried to the grave. And I always think: it's not always about money. Do it out of passion. You have a bigger purpose in life. No one wants to be the 50-year-old man without a wife and children in a Ferrari. So do what you enjoy and go for it!”

Yenny Das (27) is a Tourism Management student in Amsterdam and is working on her entrepreneurial dream: a bed and breakfast in Bali.

Expressing desires and boundaries is very healthy
“If I think about something, and I want it very badly, I will do everything to get it. In this, I am very enterprising, creative and determined. Maybe sometimes I come across as a tad cheeky because I ask questions that others are afraid to ask. But it has only brought me benefits so far. For my graduation project, I called a real estate company and asked for construction drawings of a villa in Bali for my prototype, which I then simply got sent, and during my internship I asked for extra responsibilities because I was working below my level. And I got those too. In the hospitality world, it is important to be service-oriented, but that does not mean you always have to please. My father taught me to set my boundaries. He showed that it was just right to express yourself if you disagree with something. I am grateful that I got that skill from him. It is very healthy to be able to express your wishes but also your limits.”

Doing everything to make other people happy
“My dream is to emigrate and start my own bed and breakfast in Bali and then expand on Lombok and Java. I was born in Indonesia. Our culture is very service-oriented and we are not used to express emotions. Maybe that's why hospitality suits me so well. I want to do everything to make other people happy, but I prefer not to be in the foreground."

"I feel a huge connection with the country. With everything I will do there, I want locals to benefit. So I choose local furniture makers, workers and locally produced food. I noticed that many foreign investors see a market in Indonesia, but the government has arranged something very nice. Namely that you can only buy land with an Indonesian passport. That way they keep control of their own land. My mother has that passport and would therefore be able to buy a piece of land. The building that comes on it may then be in my name.”

Guests contribute to local population
“The population is very poor. If you see what property owners earn now, it is so out of proportion to what workers get from this. I want to change that so that all parties benefit. I also want to donate 1-2% of the turnover to charity. The guests of my b&b can indicate in advance which charity their money should go to. This also makes my guests feel good and valuable about their stay. Ideally, I would like returning guests. That's the best compliment because it means they had a nice stay and want it again. Hospitality is very important to me. I also hope they feel that their visit contributes to the development of the population and we can learn from each other.”

Money is not the main goal
“Since September 2024, I have been participating in the Start programme of Start Up Campus Haarlem. You immediately get motivated when you enter. I really enjoy hearing all the stories of others. Everyone helps each other out with different perspectives and knowledge. That is very valuable."

"My advice to other students is, do something you are 200% committed to. Money is not the main goal. I would rather earn less money and have a great time, than the other way around. It is also important to gather the right people around you. I am lucky with my mother and the people at SUCH. But I also have teacher Karen van Wermeskerken-den Boer, for instance, who supports me tremendously. At first, I was on a different course with my thesis. Then she said ‘Yenny, do you really want this? Your heart is in a different place, isn't it?' And she was right. My heart is in Indonesia and with the locals. That was my wake-up call and now I am doing something that makes me much happier.”

Gaining international experience without needing to study abroad is the opportunity COIL projects offer. COIL stands for ‘Collaborative Online International Learning’. Using this sustainable method, students from the Business Studies and Finance degree programmes at the Inholland University of Applied Sciences recently created their own online game around the global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The project involved collaboration with foreign universities in Ghent (HoGent), Berlin (HTW), and Madrid (CEU San Pablo). There were also sessions with students from Canada and Indonesia. 

Last year, the Finance degree programmes in Rotterdam launched the COIL pilot. Students successfully set up a game on the SDGs and rated the project with a generous pass. A great testament to the learning experience and value of cross-cultural collaboration. 

Getting started online with SDGs in Europe
Based on the positive experiences with this international project, it was rolled out across the whole of Inholland this year. Students from Alkmaar, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Diemen from the relevant programmes who wished to demonstrate their intercultural competence and learning outcomes could apply. Students were then selected on the basis of their motivation and placed in a diverse team for an interdisciplinary learning experience, in keeping with flexible and innovative education.

The online nature of COIL projects means they are inclusive and low-threshold. They allow students to gain an international experience from home. And they give students the opportunity to meet online to learn about different cultures, language barriers, and the challenges they will face as future professionals.

‘COIL projects make international exchange highly accessible’
In the words of a participating partner professor from HTW Berlin: ‘COIL projects make international exchange highly accessible to all. They give every student the opportunity to gain experiences in an international environment without too much hassle. I think making COIL a regular part of the degree programme would be an amazing idea. This will give everyone the chance to get a taste of an international exchange. COIL projects remove obstacles and give students a unique international experience that they cannot get any other way.’

Students are happy to share their enthusiasm about COIL after the sessions. ‘I most enjoyed the interactivity and the fact that it’s not boring at all’, one student revealed. A fellow student: ‘What a great idea to communicate in this way with students from different countries. It helps you to learn a bit more about the world around you.’ And: ‘It was really cool that we learned so much about the SDGs and other cultures.’

Canada and Indonesia
In addition to the European sessions mentioned above, just before the spring break, many hundreds of second-year Business Studies students participated in an international project with students from Canada (Durham College, St. Lawrence College, Fleming College) and Indonesia (Universitas Syiah Kuala). They did this to explore the cultural and economic differences between the three countries, as well as international supply chains and sustainability. With more than 650 participants from Inholland and partner institutions, this was the largest COIL ever organised by Inholland.

Similar to the European COIL project, this programme offers students an opportunity to get acquainted with a foreign country without needing to travel abroad. Twan Franken, lecturer in Business Studies: ‘It was nice to see how students found challenges with each other and engaged in conversation. Sometimes with their hands and feet.’ Jeroen Triesscheijn, lecturer in Business Studies: ‘It was quite challenging to learn to deal with the big cultural differences between the partners when setting up the programme.’

“It was really an intensive week," agrees one of the Inholland students, as he walks on the fortieth floor of the Municipality’s office De Rotterdam to the corridor where the group photo is taken. After this, the group will make a cruise on the Maas and will have a last dinner together. Talking with a beer and recovering from a week of hard work is what this student will be doing.

Municipality receives international inspiration
It was indeed hard work for the participating students from various disciplines: management, architecture and urban design.  Prior to the field week in Rotterdam, they received five weeks of online lessons in for instance design thinking.

The floating designs had to meet the needs of both residents and entrepreneurs. In this way, the municipality received international inspiration for new destinations of harbours that lost their original function. The concept 'Floating Vibes' won the first prize for the best combination of design and business plan.

Lisanne de Bever, third-year Business Studies Management Studies
"If you had told me a week ago that I would be presenting in English, I wouldn't have believed you. I like presenting in Dutch, but in English it's really different. It was new for me to work with foreign students and it was a fun group. We connected well and kept focus on the goal. It is nice that you do not know each other at all at the beginning of the week and that you end up as good colleagues at the end.

I think it's important to connect with other cultures, because you will have to deal with them in your future life. The sooner you are exposed to other cultures, the easier it will be. In other words, participating in a BIP is a very good exercise to enter the real world."

Silpa Kinnunen - International Business from Finland
"I'm amazed and proud of how well I got through this week. The main reason to participate was to improve my English. I think my English has really improved this week. Moreover, I wanted to work with people from other countries, from other cultures and from other disciplines. I enjoyed getting to know new people and a new country.

What I noticed is that the other students talked so much while working on the project. In Finland we always work in silence. That was sometimes difficult, because I'm used to working very differently."

Jonah van den Beukel – third-year student Business Studies Management Studies
It was a lot of fun. This BIP was all about making friends and having fun together while developing a concept. Never before have I done such a project. Being creative was difficult. Because we had a big brainstorm session together, we succeeded. It helps that you are all working towards the same goal. Being at school every day, working hard every day: I'm going to miss that fun now it's over….

I recommend students to participate in a BIP, because you quickly make new friends. You will meet people you normally never meet, such as management students or architecture students from abroad. In short, I see it as a very positive experience."

What is a Blended Intensive Programme?
A Blended Intensive Programme is a programme that combines online and offline learning. Before the students started working together in Rotterdam, they worked together online in international teams to get prepared for their field work in Rotterdam. The partners in this BIP were recruited from Inholland’s large network of  international partners.

Marlies Springorum, internationalisation coordinator at Inholland and lecturer in Marketing, initiated this international programme, which receives financial support from ERASMUS+ from the EU. Abdul Kara, co-initiator at the Rotterdam campus, secured the cooperation of the municipality of Rotterdam as commissioners.

Marlies: "This programme is for students who do not necessarily want to go abroad for six months, but who do enjoy working together in an international context. This cross-cultural cooperation - online and offline - is also important for the EU. I think it's a great concept”.

Emerging from the fog were 29 international students and 10 Inholland students who participated in the Erasmus Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) in Haarlem at the end of March. During the previous five weeks they had engaged in online learning, talking, and thinking about sustainable fashion. Now was the time to develop a communication concept for a local frontrunner in sustainable fashion targeted at young people. The working method during this week was based on that of Inholland's Living Labs, which was quite unfamiliar for the international students and their coaches. It was only on the last day that the fog truly cleared for them.

"I really enjoyed working in such an international group," says Inholland student Jesper. He is one of the 10 Inholland students from 3 locations (Alkmaar, Haarlem and Rotterdam) in the BFL domain. "It's interesting to see how people from other cultures work and what their teachers are like. For example, the Belgian coach was very strict and very critical, which we are not used to. I didn't know much about the subject, but I'm now more conscious about my clothing. We started this week with design thinking, which I found very informative. This way of working stimulates your brain in a different way, leading to new and different ideas. The international students found it challenging that there wasn't that much structure this week. I thrive on that freedom, but I understand that they sometimes felt los."

His fellow student Sarah from Germany agrees: "I found it a challenging week. Our generation wants to make a difference, and I learned here in Haarlem that you have to step out of your comfort zone to see things from a different perspective. This way of working was really new to me, but I now see that the outcome is much more creative and better than if you had done it another way. I really developed new competencies and made many friends this week!"

International Network
University of Applied Sciences Inholland has a large international network of partner institutions. Additionally, Inholland is part of Businet, an international network of higher education institutions aimed at realizing international cooperation between educational institutions, and thus providing students and teachers the opportunity to develop and participate in international projects. Teachers and coordinators of internationalization are involved in this network. Marlies Springorum, international coordinator and teacher of marketing at Inholland initiated this international project, and introduced it to partners in Inholland’s international network.

Tamara Schoon, lecturer-researcher at the Lectorate Sustainable Business Innovations, said, “Last year, Marlies approached me with a request to write a pitch for an Erasmus+ Blended Intensive Programme on sustainable fashion. My plan focused on raising awareness and activating sustainable consumption behaviour among young people in the EU. A Flemish, Walloon, German, and Italian university then showed interest. Together we then continued to develop the programme.”

Marlies Springorum: "This programme is for students who don't necessarily want to go abroad for six months but who do enjoy working in an international setting. This cross-cultural collaboration, both online and offline, is a key EU objective. I think a very important one. This semester, Inholland BFL Rotterdam will also be running a BIP. The focus will then be on creating solutions for the City of Rotterdam that meet the needs of entrepreneurs, citizens, and urban designers. I'm very happy with the way the Sustainable Fashion BIP was linked to a Living Lab. The curriculum was rich and varied, and the final presentations were of high quality. Most students were enthusiastic too; they liked the change from regular lessons in the classroom.  Of course, it was a complex project with its own dynamic. As Inholland, too, we are learning."

Online BIP
This BIP had five weeks of online learning , followed by the live week in Haarlem. During the online phase, the forty students had two meetings per week, with keynotes on themes such as the negative impact of fast fashion, Introduction to sustainable fashion, EU Circular textile strategy, and sustainable marketing. Tamara: "We could also invite interesting guest speakers through our partners, who provided keynotes on, for example, traceability and transparency in the fashion and textile sector."

In the second half of the online weeks, the student teams met with their learning coaches to complete the tasks for that week. Tamara: "These included brand assessments on sustainability, analysis of students’ own fashion consumption behaviour with the help of the Shift framework, and trend research in their own region. In the final online week, the student teams developed a communication concept for a local frontrunner in sustainable fashion."

Live BIP
This concept was developed during the live week in Haarlem. Between March 19 and March 24, the students and learning coaches were offered a curriculum in which they incorporated insights from the online phase into a communication plan for their own local frontrunner. They also went on an excursion to Amsterdam, walked sustainable fashion routes, and participated in a hackathon with the Inholland lector Design Thinking. The ideas developed by the students were pitched to communication managers from the European Commission (DG Environment) and Andrea Reyes, founder of the Sustainable Fashion Community Center in Harlem, New York, via a video connection. The students incorporated the feedback received into their final presentations.

The concepts presented on Friday afternoon at the Seinwezen in Haarlem are all innovative, creative, and feasible. For example, one group came up with the idea of "The Thrift Hunter" for a chain of second-hand clothing stores. An item from these shops is posted on Instagram, and the participant who finds the item in one of the stores during the "hunt" can take it home for free. This group of students aims to introduce the target audience to second-hand clothing stores, which many students perceive as dirty, boring, and outdated. "With our plan, we don't want to push second-hand clothing, but make it fun," said the group's spokesperson.

TikTok campaign
Other groups came up with concepts such as a "flash sale" for the previous season's collection of a more expensive, sustainable denim brand, a Tiktok campaign to showcase the coolness of second-hand clothing, and a chill-out area in second-hand shops where young people can come together, drink coffee, and repair their clothing. A communication plan was also developed for the Amsterdam-based company O My Bag. The students propose allowing young people to try out the more expensive and sustainable bags for a certain period for free. If you decide to keep the bag, you can pay it off in ten months. Bags that are returned can then be resold by the brand at a lower price. The students hope to combat the throwaway culture and raise awareness among young people that you had better spend a little more money on a sustainable bag.

Hans Zahn, business studies lecturer, said after the event, "I am very impressed with these presentations, the level is really high. Starting with design thinking was a good foundation for this week. The students have made significant progress, and we saw the fog in which they began to clear up quickly. The outcomes show that they could all handle this approach very well. The collaboration with international students and teachers was enjoyable and educational. I hope that after this week, they will all become ambassadors for sustainable fashion."

Since the new Erasmus program started in 2021, and Erasmus subsidy is linked to the development and participation in BIPs, Hogeschool Inholland has already organized six BIPs at various locations, with two more planned for this semester. The European Commission considers BIPs an inclusive way of internationalizing because students who cannot or do not want to spend half a year abroad can participate due to the short duration of the programme.

As a student you are looking for pleasant, affordable and safe housing in the city where you study. This may sound simple, but things are different in practice. If you want to get your own room in your student city, you are often dealing with waiting times, high rents and (too) small rooms at locations you would actually prefer not to live. The student housing providers want to do something about this. They are going to build affordable student housing in your city, taking your housing needs into account. To do so, they need your input. 

Survey 
We are conducting a survey to find out how many students will be living in your city in the coming years and how these students want to live. This knowledge will be used to build enough student housing to meetstudents' needs. This research is carried out by student housing providers in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Universities of Applied Sciences and Research Universities. If you really want to make a difference in housing for students, please participate in this survey. 

Participation 
To participate, please click on the following link: www.wonenalsstudent.nl 

The survey consists of about 40 questions and takes around 10 minutes to complete. You can fill in the questionnaire using your smartphone, tablet or computer. The questionnaire will remain active until April 22.  Your answers will then be processed anonymously. 

How do I stay informed of the results? 
Results will be available on the website after the summer.