‘Saxion breaks bubbles, and that is exactly the kind of person I am.’

“I’m a child of the AMA,” says Keklik Yücel. She joined Saxion almost two years ago as Head of the School of Applied Psychology & Human Resource Management ( AMA). It seems like a lot of things fell into place when she chose Saxion. In particular being able to create opportunities for the region and for those who can’t take opportunities for granted. Being able to make progress together. Being able to connect different worlds. Keklik refers to these as bubbles. They form a common thread in her life and in this conversation.

She is not only a child of the AMA at Saxion, but also a child of Rode Dorp in Deventer. The neighbourhood where she grew up was not a place littered with opportunities or where it was taken for granted that you could achieve whatever you wanted, says Keklik. However, in order to know who you are, what your talents are and what you can mean to the world, you sometimes have to take a detour: “After the MEAO [secondary economic and administrative education] I had a number of administrative jobs, but felt that I wanted more. Something else. In the mean time I was married, had two young children and looked at options for further study. I looked at the PABO [primary school teacher training] and AMA at Saxion. It ended up being the latter, part time. For me the match between individual and labour market didn’t turn out well at the time, so I wanted do a study where I could help others get this match to work well for them. These were hard times, but I was determined to succeed and completed my AMA study in four years. An amazing period that made me into the person I am today. Saxion was the first step in getting closer to myself, to how I wanted to grow.”

A reacquaintance with Saxion

After four years Keklik had a taste for studying and decided to continue by taking an academic programme in Public Administration/Political Science. “Only then did I dare entertain that ambition in my head. That I wanted to continue studying. I got unconditional support from my husband. It was hard work, but I did it with pleasure.” My subsequent career led me to various social and political organisations, including the party executive and women’s organisation of the PvdA [Labour Party] and five years in the Tweede Kamer [parliament]. “I had a strong sense of social commitment and when my PvdA seat in parliament expired due to the election results, I had to take other steps.” Keklik was self-employed for several years, advising educational institutions and other public bodies in areas such as leadership, public values, diversity, combatting polarisation and promoting inclusion. A great run up to her reacquaintance with Saxion. Returning to AMA, but this time as head.

Helping one another

It is a position where she is once again able to look beyond boundaries, she says. Not only between disciplines, but also beyond all the bubbles (“There they are again!”) that we live in as society. “It surely applies to more people, but it is definitely the case for me. I grew up in a working-class neighbourhood, but also sit with executives in The Hague. And at so many places in between. You see all the different worlds, where people have such good intentions, but sometimes unknowingly go around blinkered. You notice that they can’t relate to each other, with their ideas, with the chances they have to work together and help one another. This is precisely where I want to contribute, in my position at Saxion, along with our super school and study programmes. Just like with our research group,  the Kennistransfer [knowledge transfer] and with Tech Your Future.”

A sense of pride

Education and research does not take place in isolation, in classrooms, labs and offices at Saxion and definitely not at AMA, but primarily with people who transfer knowledge and opportunities to society. “and vice-versa back into the classroom,” sees Keklik. “For example to the work floor, where training and retraining is needed. To SMEs in the region, where social transitions are taking place, where technical staff are hard to find and keep. There are many redeployment agencies for people who are theoretically trained. Through our Saxion education and research we also specifically help skilled professionals pursue life-long learning, keep up with developments and remain a great asset to the labour market. That market is becoming increasingly tight and is changing. This requires solutions. It doesn’t just give me a sense of pride, but also satisfaction, to be able to contribute to this with my colleagues.

Not just the 'happy few'

How does Keklik at Saxion make a difference in tomorrow’s world? “In terms of educational development, I pay particular attention to the opportunities of making an impact in our region and to inclusion. You can think from your own perspective or bubble, about how you want to structure education, set up the most prestigious projects, but that also appeals to students in a world where everything is possible. For example because they have academically educated parents, who they can ask plenty of questions at home: ‘How do you go about that? How do you want to come across in a project group or meeting?’ However, many students have not grown up like this and have nothing to fall back on. They have to learn all of this themselves. You need to be sufficiently aware and keep an eye out for this, sometimes by offering extra supervision, to prevent them from dropping out. Ensure that you don’t just end up with the ‘happy few’, with a select group. Not all students have the same background. It is important to pay attention to this. I hope the focus on inclusive education at Saxion resonates in our collaborations with companies and organisations. It is not just about the business side, but it is specifically the human side that is so important. Just as working on 21st-century skills. On personal development: who are you, what are your talents, what are you bringing to tomorrow’s world? Our students can discover this, developing their own ethical compass to help them find their way in the world. The Inner Development Goals, as addition to the SDGs. To me, they are just as important.”

A glimmer of hope

She is definitely in the right place after being at Saxion for almost two years, she says. “We have an organisation that can be both informal and professional in a unique way. As an employee you are given all the space you need for life-long learning. You can learn to make the most of opportunities to broaden and deepen your knowledge. I also like the fact that along with my colleagues, I can make a real difference. During the summer holidays I thought about it long and hard, how many challenges are out there. Not just in the Netherlands, but also world wide: inflation, the energy crisis, wars. This also raised questions for me: where should we start with finding solutions? What is my generation going to leave behind? When I walked back into Saxion after my holiday I saw a certain sparkle, a glimmer among students and staff. A glimmer of hope. When I see that, I think: ‘Yes, this is where work is being done on tomorrow’s world. It can really happen.’

Not in an abstract sense, but together.

I’m born and bred in Deventer and have seen Saxion grow up. In a good way, where the applied university has continually sought relations with the city, region and province. I also regard Saxion as an innovative place. Not in an abstract sense, but as a real collaborative partner for all sectors and layers of society. Saxion also breaks bubbles, builds bridges with ROCs, universities and SMEs. This fits perfectly with who I am. You can only progress if you move together and leave no-one behind.”