Saxion Students Express Themselves Online with MKG

To ensure that its students learn not only within the school walls, Saxion University of Applied Sciences has collaborated for many years with companies on real life projects. One form of integration with practice is that HBO-ICT students work on external practical assignments, often in project form, with a 'real' client from an external company. Not only do students find this fantastic, but the company also has a vested interest in the outcome of a project. Many companies in the Twente region are eager to participate. However, this situation has changed significantly due to the coronavirus.

Saxion HBO-ICT senior lecturer Leo Hofste: "We are no longer allowed to enter the Saxion buildings and we only see our students online. We are required to offer all current education online. Not an easy task. What are we going to do with our real-life projects now? One company after another drops out because it becomes too complicated, and they themselves must do everything possible to stay afloat. A phone call with Henk Abbring from MKG provided a solution."

Saxion has collaborated with MKG in various ways for many years, either through projects, company presentations, internships, or graduation assignments. "We knew there was an online environment available where you can work with the ERP package," said Hofste. "The question was whether MKG could allow sixty HBO-ICT students to use its ERP environment. And it succeeded. Thanks to MKG, our second-year Business IT students were able to express themselves online in MKG during the 'Supply Chain Management' project and also work with the integrated Business Intelligence solution. The students delved into subtopics such as delivery reliability, inventory analyses, Industry 4.0, and Smart Industry, during which they received various demonstrations of the package and Q&A sessions with Henk Abbring as an external client."