The international students in Groningen are worth their weight in gold, according to Jouke van Dijk, a professor of regional labour analysis at the faculty of spatial sciences at the University of Groningen, and the chair of the Social Economic Council of the North.
“They provide a significant spending boost in the economy of Groningen,” van Dijk told the Groninger Ondernemers Courant.
His comments were made just before the University of Groningen agreed with plans to limit its internationalisation – a few months after calling on the government not to limit international students. The RUG is stopping the creation of new Bachelor courses in English and will start exploring which courses taught in English can be switched entirely to Dutch.
While some in Groningen complain, and there is often a negative sound about the amount of students that are here and about the nuisance they occasionally cause, van Dijk had a different perspective. “That may be the case: but students cause a lot less trouble than some industries. Besides, some of them will stay in Groningen after their studies, which means vacancies will be filled, which would be a lot more difficult without them,” he said.
Unfortunately, a lot of students leave Groningen after their studies. Van Dijk says that there is not a lot they can do about this. In the Randstad, there are usually bigger companies with better job prospects for them and their partner as well.
“But it’s not that bad that they leave Groningen. All those students have still studied here and spent money here for years. You shouldn’t see their leaving as a braindrain, but as an export product, and a very good one too,” van Dijk said.
In the city of Groningen, the economy is heavily propped up by the University and the UMCG hospital, which provide employment opportunities. Thanks to them, a lot of smaller companies have risen that provide more high-quality employment.
Van Dijk does think that companies in the North should try and take better advantage of the existence of the Hanze and the University. The companies should put themselves out there so the university and the students know about them. This way students can see their possible future employment options. It is better to try and keep the students here straight after their studies than to try and get them back after they’ve already left.
