The AHK has laid down its vision for the future up to 2023 in the Strategic Plan 2018-2023 (in Dutch, PDF). This plan describes which themes in education and research will receive extra attention in the coming years. The plan also provides a direction in which way these themes will be financially supported with budget that is made available by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science as a result of the abolition of the student grant. The Strategic Plan was drawn up on the basis of discussions with directors, the supervisory board and employees and students from the representation bodies of the AHK. We also spoke with a number of important external parties from the professional field.

Artistic and personal
The artistic and personal development of the student is central to the intensive education of the AHK. We continue to invest in the quality of that education, to train the students to the highest level in their discipline, from a solid craftsmanship, with plenty of room for innovation and experiment.

Craftsmanship and innovation
Innovation is inextricably linked to the arts and will be given an even more explicit place within the AHK in the coming years. This not only involves technological innovation and digitization, but also new initiatives in the preparation for the labor market and the future of students and alumni, who will have more opportunities for lifelong learning at the AHK. Sustainable, forward-looking facilities are of great importance here. In all of this we do not lose sight of the craft and the craftsmanship - the starting point of all courses.

Connecting and relevant
Urgent societal themes force us to seek the connection with society. From the point of view of diversity, we want to encourage everyone with talent to find their way to our courses. We want to offer an inclusive learning environment. In research and education, addressing societal challenges, for example with regard to the urban living environment, requires explicit attention. And of course we do so in the international context of the professional fields for which the AHK trains. In this way we keep art education up-to-date and relevant.

Institutional Quality Assurance Test in 2019
The Strategic Plan is an important basis for the Institutional Quality Assurance Test, which the AHK will run through for the second time in 2019. In this institutional test, the Accreditation Organisation of the Netherlands and Flanders (NVAO) assesses whether the conditions within the AHK to fulfill its own ambitions are adequate. Consider, for example, personnel policy, participation in decision making, educational evaluations and provisions for students with a disability. Also facilities like ICT and housing are discussed. This Quality Assurance Test takes place on 19 and 20 September, 30, 31 October and 1 November 2019.

Download the Strategic Plan 2018-2023 (in Dutch, PDF)