Join our HUB study visit

What does the ideal place look like where VET students don’t just learn about entrepreneurship, but actually start doing it?

⁉️▶️ How do you build an Entrepreneurship HUB that truly works?

What kind of space, guidance, collaboration and culture are needed to help students develop their ideas, start a business and combine entrepreneurship with their education?

From 30 September to 2 October, we will explore inspiring examples across the Netherlands during the C-ENTRE HUB Study Visit & Inspiration Program.

We will visit, among others:
🎓 Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht – entrepreneurship within VET education
🌱 Drechtsteden Entrepreneur Centre – an ecosystem connecting students, entrepreneurs and businesses
🎙️ MICA Leeuwarden – innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship
🤝 Centre for Entrepreneurship – collaboration between VET and higher education
💡 And, of course, interactive sessions where we share experiences, success factors and lessons learned.

But most importantly: we won’t just talk about entrepreneurship; we’ll see what it looks like in practice. Together with international colleagues from Portugal and Hungary, we’ll bring international perspectives together. 🌍

What can you expect?
→ Inspiring real-world examples
→ Practical lessons for your own institution
→ Exchange with VET professionals from the Netherlands and Europe
→ New international contacts and opportunities for collaboration
→ Ideas for better supporting students in starting and running their own businesses

Who is it for?
For VET teachers, education developers, team leaders, innovation coordinators, project leaders and other professionals working on entrepreneurship, innovation and student initiatives within VET.

Participation? Free of charge.

📅 30 September – 2 October 2026
📍 Utrecht, Dordrecht & Leeuwarden
👉 Curious to see what an Entrepreneurship HUB looks like in practice — and what you can take back to your own institution?

Check out the programme and register!

Wednesday September 30^th

Best practices in the Central Netherlands

11.00 – 11.30 | Welcome and introductions
                              Address: Vondellaan 178, Utrecht

• Welcome and introduction to the C-ENTRE project

• Introductions of participants

11.30 – 13.00 | Visit to Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht
                              Address: Vondellaan 178, Utrecht

• Presentation by Jelle Henze: entrepreneurship & support within a program
• Tour: facilities and Entrepreneurship HUB’s and spaces
• Discussion with VET teachers, students and/or project leaders

• Discussion of success factors and lessons learned

13.00 – 15.00 | Travel time (during which also possibility for lunch)

15.00 – 17.00 | Visit to Drechtsteden Entrepreneur Centre (DaVinci College)
                              Address: Leerparkpromenade 110, Dordrecht

• Tour by Jeroen van Dijk: meet an ecosystem of around 80 regular tenants, including startups, VET entrepreneurs and corporates
• Typically around 15 entrepreneurs and 13 students are present on a given day
• Discussion on how to start small and grow big (as a VET program / HUB)
• Deep-dive in success factors and lessons learned

Thursday October 1^st

Best practices in the Friesland province

09.30 – 12.00 | Visit Media Innovation Campus (MICA)
                               Address: Sixmastraat 15, Leeuwarden

• 09:30 Introduction by CEO Didier Kick: MICA as a creative innovation and entrepreneurship environment
• 10:15 Podcast*: value and potential of VET Entrepreneurship HUB’s
• 11:15 Tour: including practical examples

• 11:30 Discussion: on collaboration between education, businesses, and students

* Special opportunity: During the visit to MICA, one seat per country is available at the table for a live English-language podcast recording exploring the value and potential of Entrepreneurship HUB’s within vocational education (VET, or MBO in Dutch). The recording will be shared with all participants afterwards.

12.15 – 13.00 | Travel time

13.00 – 15.00 | Network lunch and visit Centre for Entrepreneurship
Address: Rengerslaan 8, Leeuwarden

• Presentation: approach and support provided to student entrepreneurs

• Co-creation session: how to let VET and University students actively work together in multi-level approach projects

15:00 – 18:30 | Networking moment, chill down

• Exchange experiences and knowledge
• Informal networking possibility

 18.30 – 21.00 | Dinner at Wannee Leeuwarden
Address: Rengerslaan 8, Leeuwarden

• Opportunity to network and experience students who are learning on the job

Friday October 2^nd

Looking back and forward

10.00 – 12.30 | Interactive session aiming on exchanging experiences

Address: Turfmarkt 11, Leeuwarden (Eisinga Atelier, top floor)

• What can we take back to our own institution on MICRO/MESO/MACRO level?
• Comparing and sharing European and national experiences
• Exploring new opportunities for collaboration

• Farewell & closing remarks