Thu Mar 28, 11:05 am
Youth
Koen van de Ven, Loes Neuteboom and Kylian Gutensohn, students from Yuverta mbo Boxtel, performed well on Friday during the Skills the Finals professional competition. Koen won bronze in the mobile equipment mechanic discipline. Loes and Kylian won gold as a duo in the Green, soil and infrastructure category. The awards ceremony was in the Brabanthallen in Den Bosch.
During Skills the Finals, more than six hundred MBO students competed for the Dutch championship in their field. More than four thousand visitors saw how the winners were announced.
POWER OFF
Outgoing Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf of Education, Culture & Science was present at the award ceremony. He handed out the gold medals in the Technology and Built Environment sector. Dijkgraaf: “What I like about Skills is that you see how many different areas you can become really good at. If there were no MBO students, the power would literally go out and the Netherlands would be completely at a standstill. These are all subjects that we desperately need. Internationally, other ministers also hardly believe what we do here in the Netherlands in secondary vocational education. You are pioneers.”
The skills of Koen, Loes and Kylian were already put to the test before Friday. Naturally, they could not demonstrate their craftsmanship in the Brabanthallen. Repairing agricultural machinery and carrying out earthwork can only be done on location. The students did not immediately know after their efforts whether they belonged to the top in the Netherlands. However, the medals on Friday were worth the wait.
The two-day event in the Brabanthallen was not only a major professional competition, but also an opportunity for young people to explore training. They could become acquainted with all kinds of professions by participating in activities.
