The importance of good technical education is great and should only increase. Both in the current labor market and in the coming years there is a strong need for strong professionals.
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| Paul Petersen Director of FHI |
For the World of Technology & Science, FHI organized special projects with exhibitors on the first day of the fair, in order to also give more attention to technical education. This resulted in a large turnout of students (and pupils) on Tuesday, but also throughout the week there were more students present than at the previous WoTS.
That turnout is of course positive, but it also had negative aspects. We received complaints from exhibitors, who saw raging students storming over their stands, and supervisors who complained to us about negative exhibitors.
The exhibitors' complaint came to us from many sources and of course it did not concern all student groups. It came across to our members as a swarm that worked together structurally to take things from the stands. A balloon that FHI used to make participants of a specific tour recognizable had to be taken back from a group of students.
At the same time, not everyone can be tarred with the same brush. If students are refused at the stands anyway, then we are also shortchanging the good groups, which in my experience is still the majority.
I think a good agreement between the employees, customers and partners of the future is important and everyone understands that. How can the minority be included in this? That is a question that I cannot answer so quickly.
I am open to suggestions. If you see possibilities that we overlook when organizing a fair, we would love to hear them. You can email new possibilities to me: p.petersen@fhi.nl.
Nederlands