On Tuesday, Mr. Ruud Koopman and Jan Vos from the Bestuursacademie Nederland met with Commissioner Zagers to discuss the expansion of their company to the Antilles. Bestuursacademie is known for their quality instruction and training in Government management, human resources, finance, immigration, and security programs as it directly relates to the Government apparatus.
Their company also plans to help negotiate and acquire personnel fitting the needs of local Governments. Koopman and Vos explained the plans of their company to bring their business operation closer to their Antillean Government clients.
"We are building a Foundation of the Bestuursacademie in the Antilles that will develop local programs catered towards Government functions", stated Directeur Ruud Koopman. Being locally based, the company can then intimately develop their programs to the needs of each Island Government. Since Saba is going through constitutional changes, this local service will prove to be beneficial in the months and years to come.
What is most important about this kind of training is the collaboration and customized programs that can exist between Governments; such as that of the BES. Bestuursacademie will develop a virtual academie online that will facilitate forums, collaboration, information sharing, and informal lessons amongst their Government clientele. Hands-on training will be provided on almost any island since the company plans to make use of local training facilities. These trainings will call upon diverse groups of Island Civil servants to meet up and be trained together, as well as give them an opportunity to share with their likeminded peers.
Each Island will put a Advisory Board in place, which will oversee what is needed in terms of lessons, training, and collaboration to suite their unique situations. Bestuursacademie will then follow-up with these Advisory Boards and develop a collaborative hands-on lesson plan and course trainings to suit their clients’ needs. Where it can, Bestuursacademie will rely on local subject matter experts to become teachers and make use of local facilities – therefore also strengthening the local economies of each Island. Furthermore, the quality of teaching will be monitored on an ongoing basis at each facility.
This Foundation which will be developed by Bestuursacademie will take the profits made and reinvest it back into the program thus becoming a revolving fund. It is because of this type of organization structure that Bestuursacademie claims that they will be cheaper than other educational solutions; in particular having trainers fly to the Antilles from Holland.
Commissioner Zagers followed up with GIS and stated that this service should prove, "Highly beneficial to a functioning Government apparatus within the Antilles". Zagers went on to say that, "Government is very interested in providing ongoing training of its staff, because education is something that must be improved across the board".
This initiative should start off in September after the advisory boards are chosen and the initial programs will become available.