About
Our mission
"As a novice council member, you have less knowledge and experience than your board members. Because you don't know well what your rights are, or how the OER (Education and Examination Regulations) works. Or perhaps facing a board member who skillfully dodges every question you ask. It was only after years of participation that I began to understand a bit how these tricks work, how to recognize them, or even use them to your advantage. Every year, I saw new council members experiencing the same problems. That's why I started Klasen Training en Advies."
At Klasen Training en Advies as the name suggests, we offer participation training focused on knowledge and skills for council members in Higher Education (both universities and colleges). Our training programs are tailored for University Councils, School Councils, Faculty Councils, and program committees. Through these, we contribute to your development as a council, making you more effective in your council duties. Additionally, we provide guidance for councils in their establishment, such as creating a yearly plan and facilitating effective evaluation and peer coaching sessions. Finally, we also offer strategic advice, addressing queries about your rights and responsibilities or assisting in achieving your policy objectives efficiently.
... and that training is in principe paid for by your institution
. It is therefore free for individual council members.
As a council, you have a legal right to education and training (Article 9.48, third paragraph of the Higher Education and Research Act). The costs for this are covered by the faculty. However, the Higher Education Participation Monitor shows that only 48% of participation councils follow training, and that 33%-49% of council members express a need for more training. Therefore, recent national agreements have been made regarding training opportunities for councils, including the requirement for multiple training moments throughout the academic year. To give this training an extra boost, the Minister has also allocated €11.5 million for this purpose between 2023 and 2025. There are various training agencies for participation councils, such as Klasen Training and Advice. You can request a quote from any provider without obligation. If you don't have your own training budget, it's wise to present this quote to your contact person at the faculty. This way, you can avoid unpleasant discussions with your administrator.
Did you know that as a council, you always have the right to training!
Hi there, I'm Jasper!
En nu, na 10 jaar, nog net zo gepassioneerd over onderwijsmedezeggenschap als toen ik begon. Ik krijg er energie van om bij te dragen aan de samenleving en op te komen voor anderen, daarom ben ik geneeskunde gaan studeren, daarom heb ik gewerkt in de politiek en daarom geef ik nu medezeggenschapstrainingen.
In recent years, I've been involved in various endeavors. In 2020, I won a lawsuit against the university regarding exam review access. During the COVID-19 crisis, I spoke on the radio about the adverse effects of proctoring. Additionally, I've been involved in initiatives concerning gender diversity in leadership positions ,student well-being, and reducing teacher workload, among other topics.
Currently, I'm an employee member of the University Council of the EUR as well as a Political Secretary for D66 Rotterdam. Next to that, I'm doing a PhD at the Erasmus MC researching sustainability in healthcare. als Arts-onderzoeker op de IC van het Erasmus MC waar ik onderzoek naar duurzaamheid in de zorg.
Sinds enkele jaren ben ik actief als trainer, onder andere voor de lokale medezeggenschap, in de politiek en bij de GGD. Ook ben ik jurist, hierdoor weet ik goed hoe de wetgeving omtrent medezeggenschap in elkaar zit. Voordat ik ging promoveren heb ik gewerkt als beleidsadviseur bij de Tweede Kamer, hier hield ik me onder andere bezig met de zorg en het hoger onderwijs. Hierdoor ben ik goed op de hoogte van de ontwikkelingen op het gebied van medezeggenschap en heb ik ervaring met de politieke lens van beleid. Als trainer vind ik het leuk om tijdens mijn trainingen veel interactie te hebben en in te gaan op jullie lokale situatie. In mijn vrije tijd vind je mij in de sportschool en speel ik graag bordspellen.
Years of experience in various levels of participation.
Longest serving student-councillor in the Netherlands
Four terms
in the University Council
Four terms
in the Faculty Council
Two terms
as student president in highschool
Why our training?
We tailor each training based on your preferences, the council's experience, and the specific context at your institution.
Not a large company with impersonal and changing contacts, but year-round contact with the same trainer for all your questions and assistance.
Not just listening to boring talks all day, but also getting hands-on. At the end of most training sessions, you also have a concrete piece to work with.
Having recently been involved in both central and decentralized participation, the distance to practice is minimal. The trainer is an expert by experience.
As a council member, you need not only knowledge about your position, but also council skills such as negotiating and collaborating. We offer a mix of modules aimed at both knowledge and skills.
Ready to make a change?
Do you want to improve the quality of your council? Do you want to have more impact on your input or learn to collaborate better with your team? Are you interested in a training, or do you have other questions? Feel free to send us a message.
