Fontys Venlo and Office Depot Europe will cooperate as ‘Partners in Education’

Venlo, 12 February 2019 

Fontys International Business School Venlo and Office Depot Europe, leading in office products and services in Europe, signed on 12 February a 'Partner in Education' agreement. The partner programme involves closer collaboration between students, lecturers, companies and organisations through, amongst other things, internships, graduation assignments and projects in practice. The agreement was signed by Bram ten Kate, Fontys International Business School Director of Fontys and Marianne Janssen, Sr Manager HR Europe- Talent & Engagement from Office Depot in the Fontys building in Venlo. 

Strong in education together  

Fontys facilitates qualitative research and education in the South of the Netherlands through close cooperation with employers. The university of applied sciences contacted Office Depot, one of the companies that play an important and pioneering role in the field of international business. 

Bram ten Kate, Managing Director Fontrys International Business School: "Through internships, graduation assignments and projects, we work in partnership with companies and organizations. This has benefits for both our students and the companies involved. We are very pleased with our collaboration with Office Depot. We see them as an international and innovative player in office supplies, where eCommerce is becoming increasingly important. " 

Marianne Janssen, Sr Manager HR Europe - Talent & Engagement, at Office Depot: "As a company, we have been active in the international office supplies market since the early 90s. We started with paper-based catalogues and since then we have invested a lot in our technology, including in the field of eCommerce. We serve our customers through many touchpoints, not only via the internet, but also through digital marketing, Inside Sales teams, Customer Service and personal contacts. Our market is in full swing and so are we. This offers Fontys students an interesting environment for learning and putting their knowledge into practice. At the same time, this is also interesting for us: in this way we hope to learn from these students and perhaps we will see them again after their graduation!” 

Covenant 

The goal of the collaboration is to enable students and teachers to gain experience with the practical application of theoretical knowledge and learning new skills. Fontys and Office Depot provide tasks and responsibilities that fit in with the individual student's competency level and the educational objectives. Through these projects, a contribution is made to education and society whereby the research can be shared publicly. Knowledge is also shared as Office Depot and Fontys Venlo come together in joint activities in education, such as guest lectures, work field advice committees, participation in lectureships and access to top talent.