Positioning study for HAS green academy

HAS green academy is a university of applied sciences that focuses on green education and has campuses in Den Bosch and Venlo. Although the university operates in a niche market, it is one of the few Dutch educational institutions that offers higher professional education programs in the green domain, making it an important supplier of professionals in the green sector.

The same applies to the food industry. Despite the fact that HAS green academy noticed a great need for starting professionals in the field, the influx of students into the Food Technology program lagged behind. This development was not only visible at HAS green academy, but also at other universities of applied sciences and, moreover, at the university level. For this reason, HAS green academy started to redefine and redesign the program to better align it with the interests and experiences of (potential) students. However, the question was whether the new version of the program actually met these criteria.

Markteffect responded quickly Markteffect skillfully translated the problem into a good research question. Markteffect maintained continuous contact and coordination during the research and demonstrated flexibility in their feedback and reporting. Satisfied!
– Hanneke Laroo, Team lead student recruitment & business HAS green academy

To determine whether the new program design met the wishes and needs of potential students, an online positioning survey was conducted among the target group: students in the final phase of their secondary education who intend to pursue a higher professional education program. It was also important that this target group reside in the HAS green academy's catchment area.

The questionnaire asked about various topics, ranging from the different interests of potential students and their interest in the detailed concept program of HAS green academy to the extent to which they had already explored further education options and the extent to which they were interested in studying at HAS green academy.

Once all the results had been collected, a calculation was made based on the total population: how many students could HAS green academy recruit per academic year based on this program? This not only yielded a concrete number, but also revealed at which point(s) in the orientation process a so-called leak occurs and many potential students may drop out. Based on this, insights emerged that helped HAS green academy to better position its program.

When they hear the term 'green education', many students immediately think of agricultural courses that train them to become farmers. However, the green sector has so much more to offer. HAS green academy is well aware of this and takes it into account in its communications with prospective students. It is therefore good to see that our research can contribute to the training of professionals in an important sector.
– Krijn Vugts, Research Consultant Markteffect

HAS green academy has now redesigned its Food Technology program. Based on the positioning study, communication about the program has been adjusted throughout the entire funnel—from the website to the open house—and is now more successful in attracting potential students to the program. HAS green academy will continue to translate and apply the results.

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