Tom is the head of the facility department at North Coast Medical Training College and was matched with Gert Groenwold during the Hanze Staff Trip in 2022
“I came here as a plumber and after finishing my job, they asked me to start teaching and now I am head of the facility department here at North Coast Medical Training College. When I found out the Hanze staff members were coming over, one of my expectations was to come up with new ideas that I can add to the curriculum here.”
“I am very proud of the work I do. I still say I am a plumber, because my title as head of department can be taken away from me, but not the hands I use for plumbing. I know here things are done often manually, while in the Netherlands, many things are automatic. However, we were still able to show the Hanze staff innovative recycling initiative we have here on campus. We are recycling the water the students are using for showering and use that water to flush the toilets with.”
“The visit from the Hanze staff is really pushing myself as head of department to another level. Their presence is a challenge to us in a positive way, because we are literally from two different worlds.”