黑料福利网

The Brainport region is experiencing significant growth, and its expansion is expected to accelerate further in the years to come. To keep up, thousands of additional technically skilled people are needed. Dennis Baas feels that urgency. His mission: to bring as much international top talent as possible to our university. In concrete terms, this means that by 2029, his team will need to recruit at least 974 additional international master鈥檚 students.

Relying solely on Dutch students won鈥檛 meet the enormous demand for technical talent in the Brainport region. That鈥檚 why Baas, together with his team from the Communication Expertise Center, Education and Student Affairs, and the departments, is deliberately looking abroad to attract new master鈥檚 students.

Most of the student growth is expected in the departments that are most relevant to the semiconductor field: Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Applied Physics, and Mathematics & Computer Science. The focus is on master鈥檚 students, who can enter the workforce after just two years and join the many high-tech companies in the Brainport region that are eager to hire semiconductor talent.

EDUCATION FAIRS AROUND THE WORLD

The team travels across the globe to attend education fairs. Over the past year, they visited countries and regions including Turkey, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Kuala Lumpur, and Taiwan.

RECRUITING TOGETHER

Our university has created a top-20 list of countries where we see strong potential for recruiting semiconductor talent. In just three of those countries - Spain, Italy and Indonesia - our university works together with TU Delft, the University of Twente, the University of Groningen and Radboud University. They have joined forces under the name .

Spain, Italy and Indonesia are popular because they have large groups of motivated students with a strong background in science and engineering. 鈥淚n these three countries alone, the other institutions could already reach their targets for additional master鈥檚 student intake鈥�, says Baas.

鈥淔or the other universities that means between fifty and one hundred extra students a year. Our target is much higher, with nine hundred and seventy four master鈥檚 students by 2029. That is why we are recruiting in seventeen more countries to reach that goal.鈥�

TURKEY IS PERFORMING WELL

Last October, Baas visited seven fairs in ten days in Turkey. 鈥淚t is an excellent recruitment country for us because there is a lot of talent. These students integrate easily, come from strong universities, and are highly valued by companies like ASML. We hear it all the time: 鈥楪o recruit there, these engineers do well.鈥欌��

When Baas and his colleagues represent the Beethoven Project at a master鈥檚 fair, they speak briefly but intensively with students. Each conversation lasts five to ten minutes. On average, this gives them about forty conversations a day with interested students.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT TEAM

Whenever possible, Baas also brings international students to these fairs. They are trained to support recruitment. 鈥淭hey can share firsthand what it is like to study at our university. They know a lot about the admissions process, applying for a visa, scholarships, and enrollment.鈥�

Staff members from the Beethoven departments also regularly attend international fairs. 鈥淲e represent TU Eindhoven, but when we sense they are interested in semicon, we share the Beethoven story. We explain why these programs are so important for the Brainport region and that there are major career opportunities with more than three hundred companies here working in semiconductors.鈥�

The Brainport ecosystem has a strong appeal for potential students. 

Dennis Baas, project lead for international recruitment

It's exactly that Brainport ecosystem that has a huge appeal to potential students, Baas observes during the fairs.

鈥淵ou only need to tell the ASML story: a world leader in chip machines. Their machines are essential for many of the most advanced chips. And the company is growing rapidly; in the coming years, there will be a high demand for technical talent. Studying with us opens the doors to ASML,鈥� says Baas.

SCHOLARSHIPS FOR BEETHOVEN STUDENTS

The scholarship program also helps. Students who want to pursue a master鈥檚 at one of the Beethoven faculties at 黑料福利网 can apply for a 鈧�7,500 per year scholarship. A total of 鈧�260,000 is available annually. 鈥淭he scholarship lowers the barrier to entry. But in the end, they mainly come for the opportunities our region offers.鈥�

Beethoven master鈥檚 students also get priority when it comes to housing. 鈥淪eventy percent of the student rooms that 黑料福利网 can allocate go to master鈥檚 students. That鈥檚 about five hundred per year. These are distributed by ESA.鈥�

CREATIVE RECRUITMENT

鈥淥f course, we can鈥檛 bring in those 974 students just by attending fairs,鈥� says Baas. 鈥淢arketing is always a mix of tools you use to achieve results.鈥�

You must continually put yourself in the spotlight so that students become excited and take action.

Dennis Baas, project lead for international recruitment

There is also a strong focus on online campaigns to spark students鈥� interest in a master鈥檚 program, and our programs are visible on portal websites where they can find more information. 鈥淵ou have to think in combinations. If you meet someone at a fair and two days later, they see an online ad from 黑料福利网, that helps. You must continually put yourself in the spotlight so that students become excited and take action.鈥�

FRIEND RAISING

Another tool in the fight for talent is engaging students, faculty, former employees, and alumni. Current students who refer new international students receive a 鈧�75 reward. 鈥淲e provide marketing materials they can use on their social media. We want students to tell their own story about what it鈥檚 like to study in Eindhoven. That works best.鈥�

Baas is also developing a program in which 黑料福利网 staff traveling abroad to a conference or university are asked to share information about the Beethoven project and 黑料福利网 as a hub for semiconductor talent. 鈥淲e give them a QR code they can include in their presentation. In return, we cover part of their travel and accommodation costs. We hope to generate leads from this as well,鈥� says Baas.

HUBS AS POINTS OF CONTACT

Alumni and former employees can also help by becoming active in so-called hubs. 鈥淲e ask alumni or former staff who are based in locations that are interesting to us abroad if they want to serve as a point of contact for prospective students. These people understand our programs, our region, and our story, which makes them valuable as contacts.鈥�

COLLABORATING WITHIN 黑料福利网

Multiple 黑料福利网 support services, as well as the involved Beethoven departments, are involved in guiding prospective students from initial interest to actual enrollment and arrival.

The departments - Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Applied Physics, and Mathematics & Computer Science - provide content materials, answer questions, send students to fairs, and evaluate diplomas.

STUDENT JOURNEY

After recruitment by CEC, Education and Student Affairs (ESA) steps in to provide students with practical information about programs, admission requirements, deadlines, costs, and scholarships. They also handle tasks such as verifying diplomas and transcripts, as well as supporting visa applications.

And of course, there needs to be housing for the incoming international master鈥檚 students. The housing market is tight across the Netherlands, and Eindhoven is no exception. Simply adding student apartments on our campus is not an option, says Baas.

鈥淎s a university, we are only allowed to spend money on education and research; we cannot build student housing ourselves. For that, we depend on other parties willing to take on the task.鈥�

LOOKING FOR MORE STUDENT HOUSING

鈥淎t Campus & Facilities, someone is dedicated to exploring options for expanding student housing. Our goal is to have 2,800 additional rooms by 2028. This initiative is being undertaken in collaboration with companies, investors, and the municipality. It鈥檚 really a specialized task, because many parties need to be aligned.鈥�

Selective students

He knows master鈥檚 students are selective. 鈥淭hey apply to multiple universities, including those in other countries. If they can鈥檛 find a room in Eindhoven, they鈥檒l go somewhere else.鈥�

Despite the challenges, Baas remains positive. 鈥淭he goal of 974 additional master鈥檚 students is ambitious but realistic. If we can solve the bottlenecks and keep collaborating, we will succeed.鈥�