Organisation - December 1, 2010

VHL consultancy jobs to go

The management of Van Hall Larenstein wants to axe the equivalent of 12.6 fulltime jobs in Training & Consultancy. If necessary, there will be layoffs.

The management announced back in February that jobs would have to go in Training & Consultancy (T&C). Now it has come up with a reorganization plan. The hardest hit section will be consultancy, with 15 advisors who provide advice on education and projects on a commercial basis. After persistently running at a loss, they were redeployed in the education programmes in 2008, mainly in Leeuwarden. But these jobs have to go now too. The management does not think it will be possible to find everyone positions within VHL. 'For some people that will be a bitter blow of course', says operations manager Rien Komen.
The staff of the other two sections of T&C can stay. The bureau that runs training programmes and courses in the green sector has already been slimmed down. The management wants to integrate it with Wageningen Business School, which runs courses too. For now, one person will continue to work in Velp and one in Leeuwarden. T&C's international projects will be brought under the internationally oriented Wageningen branch of VHL. These projects address such subjects as practical agricultural education in developing countries.
The VHL management wants to close down T&C as soon as possible, but the employees' council and the unions have yet to agree to the reorganization.
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