Education Collaboration between Netherlands Police Academy and Saxion University of Applied Sciences launched Written on Tuesday, January 20, 2026 From 26 January 2026, lecturers of Saxion University of Applied Sciences will be involved in teaching students in the Netherlands Police Academy’s Police Leader bachelor’s programme. They will teach several modules that Saxion already uses in its own teaching. Last year the Police Academy and Saxion signed a collaboration agreement, so the present collaboration is the next step. The collaboration is initially fixed for the coming five years. ‘We are delighted that the lecturers from Saxion, with their wealth of knowledge and expertise, are going to be teaching here in-house’, says Esther Bosch-Zandsteeg, on behalf of the Higher Police Education sector management. ‘The Police Academy has long had a desire for more collaboration with other educational institutions. So once the contours of the new Police Leader bachelor’s programme (Dutch) started to emerge, we decided to explore what might be possible.’ Non-police-specific modules 'We’ve already been working with Saxion for some years, among other things in the Centre for Security and Digitalisation (CVD). Saxion is close by, and they have the capacity. So they were a very obvious choice for us to explore this with. Why would the Police Academy develop these non-police-specific modules ourselves, if they’re already available elsewhere?’ ❛❛ We can see that Saxion’s lecturers are really excited about getting started at the Police Academy. Esther Bosch-Zandsteeg Today the lecturers from the two educational institutions have come together at the Police Academy’s Apeldoorn campus. ‘We’re taking a joint “deep dive” into the curriculum of the Police Leader bachelor’s programme and the modules’, Esther explains. ‘The aim is to mark the day, the launch of our collaboration. We can see that Saxion’s lecturers are really excited about getting started at the Police Academy’.' '26 January is when the first cohort of the Police Leader bachelor’s programme start the second year of their course. And their second year immediately kicks off with several of Saxion’s modules. The lecturers from Saxion who are going to teach these modules have already met with their colleagues from the Police Academy.’ Foundational modules about general topics The Saxion modules are about general topics, such as drawing up and implementing a team plan. Or managing a team with a view to team development and carrying out personnel interviews. But they also include topics such as developing your vision as a manager, implementing change, or operating in a culturally diverse team. ‘Of course we want to ensure that the Saxion modules fit in with our learning objectives and learning trajectories. Or that they can be adapted to fit them’, Esther continues. ‘This is the task of education specialists, both our own and those from Saxion. ' 'Saxion’s modules are foundational ones that we combine with police-specific modules. This requires tailor-made solutions, and that takes time. Saxion’s modules are assessed by educational specialists, including Saxion’s own examiners. The Boards of Examiners of both institutions have worked together closely to ensure that this process runs smoothly. I’m really looking forward to putting our collaboration into practice – we’ve been working towards this moment for a long time.’