Expand your world with an international study at Summa

The days when Summa College's Engineering program only trained young people to work for companies in their hometowns are truly over. "We want to turn all our students into global citizens," says Engineering lecturer Frank de Jongh. in an interview with Brainport Eindhoven. 

“It is also good for you to expand your world”

Summa Engineering has both a Dutch-language and an English-language branch. "A small number of our students follow the entire program in English. These are often young people of international descent, but there are also Dutch students who already know they want to cross the border later, or who have lived abroad with their parents."

Capillaries

But even if you're just studying in Dutch, international opportunities are never far away at Summa. "That's not just important if you're going to work for large companies like ASML. The entire Brainport region is working on it, including many smaller companies," says Maria Vrijsen, an English and Dutch as a Second Language teacher. "We're talking about engineering here, but at Summa Beauty & Lifestyle, it's just as important. As a hairdresser or nurse, you also need to be able to communicate well in English these days. Internationalization is deeply ingrained throughout Summa. Expanding your horizons is always good for your development," adds Frank.

For some students, that's quite a step. "Many students come from smaller villages and have their friends and family nearby. That social life is very important to them. The urge to just go on an adventure on their own—like we suggest with an internship abroad, for example—isn't very strong yet. That's not surprising at all. Because don't forget: they're still young, usually between 16 and 20 years old. They often come from a small, manageable pre-vocational secondary school. But once they're here, they actually really enjoy it. Their English is also quite good. Not just thanks to school, but also thanks to games and YouTube," Maria has noticed.

Hamburg and Sweden

Students participate in international exchanges and internships. Recently, a group of students went to Denmark, along with colleagues from Germany and Spain. Summa students have also been to Hamburg and Sweden. "They always come back enthusiastic. The students who had been to Denmark noticed that their English was better than that of the Germans, and especially the Spanish, and they appreciated that."

The photo was taken by Brainport Eindhoven.