A message from the Executive Director
It is a pleasure to share the work and successes of another year in which we have carried out our mission to educate the world by placing our learners at the center of everything we do. We take pride in enabling people all over the world to advance their professional careers by collaborating with our faculty colleagues to deliver expert knowledge and key skills through a dynamic and engaging learning experience.
How exciting and rewarding to see that the number of people who have taken our courses is fast approaching 4 million!
I applaud the excellent work of our dedicated colleagues alongside and in support of the lecturers, and for their efficient, quality delivery of our services. I am again impressed by their passion, professionalism, and willingness to exchange knowledge and best practices both within and without TU Delft – to facilitate education for all – and in so doing contribute to maintaining our university's leadership in open and continuing education.
Our joint efforts to continuously improve access to quality education for every one win us international praise and prestigious awards.
It is especially gratifying to observe the close cooperation amongst faculty colleagues in their roles of faculty coordinators, academic portfolio directors, and members of the quality assurance, advisory, and strategic boards of the Extension School. Their input is crucial to the success of our activities and, consequently, the success of our learners.
Again in 2022, our organization has taken the lead in several innovation projects with local, national, and global partners to increase the collective reach and impact of our courses and programs and their contribution toward building a better society.
In particular, I would like to mention our role in initiatives such as the EU Pact for Skills, Energy Switch Zuid-Holland, and the LLO Katalysator proposals, aimed at helping to close the skills gap and meet future labour market demands in critical fields, such as the energy transition.
Notable has also been our participation in digital innovation projects, for example, the Digital Credentials Consortium and various ERASMUS activities, including the offer of courses under the Dutch STAP-subsidy scheme and the launch of our first Microcredentials on the SURF platform.
The Extension School will continue to play a significant role as lifelong learning keeps gaining relevance in the political and educational agendas at the national, European, and international levels.
Together with all our colleagues, I am eager for us to seize new, upcoming chances for innovation and cooperation.
Willem van Valkenburg Extension School Executive Director
