Behind the scenes with Gijs van Ierssel

Meet Gijs van Ierssel, Program Coordinator and Study Advisor of CreaTe at VU Amsterdam, and find out how he shapes the collaboration between Amsterdam and Twente.

Behind the scenes with Gijs van Ierssel

In Behind the scenes, we introduce a team member involved in the VU-UT Alliance. We’re starting with Gijs van Ierssel, Program Coordinator and Study Advisor for CreaTe at VU Amsterdam.

Ensuring a smooth organisation

"As Program Coordinator, my main focus is making sure the organisation of the CreaTe program runs smoothly for our students, lecturers and support staff. I’m in constant contact with all parties about various ongoing matters. One big advantage is that communication is very direct, which makes everything run much more smoothly and helps resolve any issues quickly.

It’s not technically part of my job, but I also get quite involved in open days and trial studying. I really enjoy that.”

Collaboration between Amsterdam and Twente

“Since CreaTe in Amsterdam follows the educational model from the UT, and the exams need to be the same in content and timing as those at CreaTe in Twente, I often work closely with my colleagues in Twente. Getting the details just right can be a challenge at times, but the collaboration works well, and we always manage to find a solution.

I also really like that, thanks to this partnership, I get to visit Twente regularly. It’s fascinating to be at such a large, green campus university – so different from the city-based VU Amsterdam.

When you look at the students, you can really see the difference between those in Amsterdam and those in Enschede. What’s great, though, is that they come together a few times a year to work on projects, and that’s when both worlds truly meet. It’s fantastic to see.”

The future and growth of CreaTe in Amsterdam

“CreaTe in Amsterdam is a technical program at a faculty that’s mostly focused on theory. Our students, however, are much more hands-on. Every 10 weeks, for example, they create a prototype. What they learn almost always results in something tangible, which is something I really appreciate.

The Makerspace in the Demonstrator Lab plays a huge part in this. Our students, as well as those from Mechanical Engineering, can simply drop in and, with the lab manager’s help, work on their projects and connect with startups. This has really taken off over the past year, and it’s been incredibly important for both our students and the program.

Looking ahead, I hope we continue to grow. Right now, we have about 50 students, but 60 or 70 would be a good number."