Sporty vocational students are now also welcome at the Student Sports Center at TU/e

It's finally happening for vocational student Zoé Rijnders. She has received her sports card. She was symbolically presented with the card Wednesday afternoon by Alderman Robert Strijk, responsible for education in the municipality of Eindhoven. With this card, the 22-year-old Summa International Engineering student can finally play sports again at the Student Sports Center on the TU Eindhoven campus. "I immediately made plans to play squash with my friends from Fontys and TU/e!"

As a third-year engineering student and an active member of the Eindhoven student dance association, this card means more than just access to sports facilities for Zoé. "I think it's recognition for us as vocational students. We're now seen as full-fledged students instead of schoolchildren. I feel welcome."

The new sports card program for vocational students is part of the MBO Action Plan that the municipality of Eindhoven developed last year with the city's vocational schools. The municipality hopes to strengthen ties between vocational, higher professional, and university students in the city through various initiatives, such as a joint Intro Festival and this sports card. With the sports card, 100 vocational students can exercise at the Student Sports Center annually for just €10 per month – higher professional and university students pay the same amount for their card. The card provides access to various sports and clubs, including fitness, tennis, and e-sports.

Zoé has a lot of contact with students at universities of applied sciences and universities of applied sciences through her educational background. “After high school, I started a university of applied sciences program. It turned out it wasn't for me. If I have to sit in a lecture hall for an hour, I don't learn anything. I learn by doing. In vocational education (MBO), you work more on projects. That suits me better. But I did make a lot of friends from my HBO time. I also had a year on the board of the Student Dance Association, which got me on campus a lot. But after I switched to vocational education (MBO), I was suddenly no longer allowed to play sports… a bit strange. Luckily, that's been rectified now.”

Zoé was born with a passion for sports. Her parents always encouraged her to play sports. "I've done so many things," she laughs. "Athletics, tennis, running. It's great that with this card I can now play tennis with my friends."