PRINS introduces students to the world of practice: ‘I’m now even considering a career at the Ministry’
image: Myrthe Timmers
The successful PRINS (PRactising INternational Studies) project offers International Studies students an introduction to the world of practice. In the last semester of their bachelor’s programme, they work as consultants for real-life clients, ranging from Rabobank to Greenpeace. We took a look at the group who worked for the Ministry of Justice and Security.
PRINS aims to teach students how to put their academic skills into practice. Working in teams, they have the opportunity to engage with a consultancy issue faced by an international organisation and to present the results to their client in the form of a report with recommendations.
Five teams of students went to the Ministry to present the results of their research projects, all on the theme of cybercrime and young people. This was quite a challenge, explained university lecturer Sarita Koendjibiharie in her opening address. ‘The digital domain and protection of young people were completely new topics for our students.’
For the participants, it meant they not only had to independently conduct a research project in a group of 15 students, but also had to learn about an entirely new field and then add their own perspective to it. Koendjibiharie said, in summary, ‘As humanities students, they show how these topics are related to society and blend into the complex of cultures.’
Career with the government
The project could therefore make you nervous, admits student Elanur Şimşek afterwards. ‘Before it started, I was afraid that the team wouldn’t be very nice or wouldn’t work together well, but my group was really fantastic. Apart from a few minor miscommunications, everything ran smoothly and I learnt a lot from my role as subgroup leader. I’m now even considering a career at the Ministry, whereas before the project I was afraid the idea might be too ambitious.’
Matthijs de Jongh would also be interested in a career with the government. ‘In my bachelor’s programme I’ve chosen the security studies angle, so this research for the Ministry of Justice and Security was absolutely my first choice,’ he says. ‘And I was lucky with my group, too. My team was really excellent and the team dynamics were very strong, so the process went very smoothly. I’m very proud of our end results. For me personally, this excursion into practice has definitely given me a taste for more. If it’s at all possible, I’d like to work in security within the government.’