1. What was the issue that led to Turner being brought in? And what made it so complicated?

With sixteen different schools, approximately 14,000 students, 1,200 course participants, and over 1,400 employees, Noorderpoort is one of the largest ROCs (Regional Training Centers) in the Northern Netherlands. Like every vocational education institution, Noorderpoort sets its strategic course once every five years. Are we still meeting the needs of society? What developments do we anticipate in the coming years in the areas of learning and professional development? How will the labor market in our region evolve? What kind of students will we have in the future? And what will their needs be? These are the questions that a strategic direction aims to answer.

2. What led to the breakthrough? In terms of content, change management, and/or project management?

Noorderpoort asked Turner to guide the development of its new strategic direction toward 2035. Partly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the process was conducted entirely online.

“We really had to do things differently,” says Elsa van Bruggen, a vocational education expert at Turner. “We decided to organize shorter sessions with fewer people. We came up with the concept of a space journey: working in different groups, we collaborated on a mission. It was important to make it clear what participants could expect from each session. That worked very well—perhaps even better than if we had organized a brainstorming session.”

“We assigned homework beforehand,” says Tessa Rombouts-van Puijenbroek, an expert in educational innovation at Turner. “For example: create a visualization of the future. We then used that in the sessions. We also took a dance class together led by a student. And we sent packages to their homes containing local products—whatever fit the objectives of that day.”

3. How did the execution come about?

“We knew that Turner places a high priority on Strategy Execution, and that’s what appealed to us,” says Wim van de Pol, chair of Noorderpoort’s Executive Board. “That has been the guiding principle throughout the process.” Along the way, through experimentation—but also by involving students and the professional field—the institution continually assessed whether the proposed strategic direction was still on track. Van de Pol is extremely satisfied with this approach. “We now have a strategic course set for 2035 that is both appealing and challenging. A course that gives Noorderpoort a strong place in society, complemented by a plan to bring that course to fruition in the coming years.”

4. Are there benefits for all stakeholders—customers, shareholders, employees, management, and society?

Not only management, but also other stakeholders are involved in formulating the new strategy. Take Rosa Meijer, a marketing and communications student at Noorderpoort, for example. “It’s important for Noorderpoort to involve students in shaping its direction, because Noorderpoort is here for the students. That’s what it’s all about, ultimately. It was a special experience for me to be part of this process and to speak out on behalf of all Noorderpoort students.”

5. What was the biggest dilemma, and how did you handle it?

During the COVID-19 crisis, a large portion of the Dutch workforce faced the same challenge: How do we work remotely? How do we communicate effectively? When establishing a new strategy—one that sets the course for an organization—this is perhaps even more important. The way Turner structured the project—with shorter sessions involving fewer people—turned out to work very well in practice, says Astrid Kramer, director of vocational education at Noorderpoort Stadskanaal. “I was worried at first: how do you chart a new strategic course without being able to look each other in the eye? But the digital approach actually worked out very well.”