Education

Education is crucial for peaceful relations, for sustainable development, progress and for the emancipation of individuals. This starts with high-quality foundational (basic) education and extends to good vocational education and inspiring higher education. FIC has experience at all levels.

Foundational (basic) education

The founder of FIC has advised a local initiative on how to develop a high-quality citizenship education programme that encourages pupils to participate fully in Dutch society with all its diversity. This programme was developed for both primary and secondary education.  The programme was approved by the Minister of Education.

Vocational education

In various sectors, the founder of FIC was involved in improving vocational education. Among other things, he was co-initiator of the most successful sector plan. As director of the national business representative association in waste management and together with the research and development fund and the branch training institute, he developed an educational programme for waste management and management of the public space for Vocational Education and Training Colleges in the Netherlands (MBO). As a result, the sector has professionalised and the management of the public space in cities has also been raised to a higher level. In addition, the branch trainer succeeded in helping employees who were not yet proficient in reading and writing to obtain their vocational education and training (MBO) diploma. As a result, the prospects of these employees on the labour market improved considerably.

For many years he supervised the examination of technicians in refrigeration technology for the legally required CFC Diploma of the national foundation STEK. Together with training and examination institutes, the refrigeration sector was also professionalised by the introduction of this environmental diploma. As a result of this capacity development, the environmental performance of the sector has greatly improved, and the reduction of CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs to the ozone layer in the Netherlands has been drastically reduced.

Furthermore, on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, he transformed the personal certification of labour and organization experts and brought them to the required level to match the legally required certification of occupational health and safety services in the Netherlands.

Higher international education

In the field of international higher education in The Hague, the international city of peace and justice, the founder of FIC was chairman of the management team of the International Institute of Social Studies (ISS). He was also the treasurer of the Hague Academy of International Law and vice-chairman of the Hague Academic Coalition. While working for the ISS, he not only acted as chairman of the MT, but also as secretary of the Executive Board and the Supervisory Board and was the point of contact for the Works Council. In this phase, together with the Rector, he guided the institute through the process of diversifying the sources of funding.

For the Hague Academy he oversaw the considerable expansion of the programme. At the end of the first century of this prestigious institute, winter courses were added to the internationally renowned summer courses for students from all over the world. As treasurer, he facilitated both the organizational development and the financing of this programme.

In order to promote peace, one has to know the road towards peace. As director of the Peace Palace he educated many groups on the concepts of peace through law, peace through dialogue and peace through education, showing visitors how peace through law is achievable.

With this broad experience, the founder of FIC is available as a board advisor in the field of education, at local, national and international level.