Noorderpoort College is a Regional Education Centre (in Dutch: ROC) operating in almost every area of Vocational Education and Training (VET) and General Adult Education. Providing a wide range of long-term and short-term courses in vocational education, apprenticeship training and adult education for almost 25.000 students and with 2.000 members of staff, it is the largest organisation of its kind in the Northeast of The Netherlands, close to the German border. With the develop­ment of tailor-made courses for companies and institutions the college meets the increasing demand for Lifelong Learning in a knowledge society. In close co-operation with the Seniorenacademie of the University of Groningen and the umbrella organisation for SMEs, MKB Netherland, Noorderpoort College develops courses for older learners due to their individual needs and the future needs of the labour market.

For more than 250 different occupations these courses are organised in distinct sectors and sub-units, each with its own management and staff. Spread over the whole Northern Province of Groningen in about 45 locations, the buildings and classrooms are well-equipped with modern facilities, such as practical training rooms with a high technical standard and open learning centres to meet the needs of individual learning. Noorderpoort College works closely together with business and other organisations within the Northern Region of the Netherlands. Its efficient and flexible organisational model enables our College to respond effectively to new developments on a European labour market.

International Learning

Noorderpoort College aims to become the main provider of vocational training and adult education in relation to the international dimension of our region. To achieve this we co-operate with a variety of  organisations, i.e. at the interregional level we have links with institutes in the cross-border region between the Northwest of Germany and the Northeast of The Netherlands like the Chambers of Commerce, joint groups of small and medium-sized enterprises (MKB-Noord), institutes of higher professional education, universities, and employment services (EDR-EURES cross-border). Noorderpoort College participates in the Interreg-programme for cross-border regions.

At the international level we have established a large network of partners mainly in Europe but also overseas.  Noorderpoort College has initiated a number of European training projects to enhance training methods and to improve the quality of curricula with regard to the demands of the European labour market. Due to the development of intercultural skills as a basic preparation for a strong start position in an increasingly complex society, the exchange of students and staff plays a major role in our international activities. As co-ordinator or partner in various projects, Noorderpoort College is funded within the frame work of the  Leonardo da Vinci and the Socrates programme, to mention only the two most important European programmes involved in the creation of a European space for lifelong learning. Our General Director is member of the Steering Committee of  the  European Forum of  Vocational  Education and Training “EFVET”.

At the national level Noorderpoort College participates in “The Dutch Alliance”, a network of eight Regional Education Centres (ROCīs) throughout The Netherlands, which cover almost all-possible areas of vocational training. The purpose of this alliance is to improve the professional quality of international activities, including innovative projects with other countries.

By qualifying young people and enhancing the skills and competencies of adult learners, the college contributes to the economic development of the region. Noorderpoort College is leadpartner of the Interreg project “ICT for SMEs” in which training institutes and small and medium-sized enterprises of the whole North Sea Region (Scotland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium) are involved. To give a few examples of other projects subsidised by the European Commission: “IndicaM@ICT – Individual Career Management Tool in the Workplace”, “Hanse Network – Knowledge Transfer in Vocational Education”, “Hybrid – Innovative approaches to learning for groups-at-risk” or “Artogather” – a computer based programme for the cultural education of young adults. But there are many more we can not mention here.