Focusing on learning and development at BZ

Vital

BZ staff worldwide spot opportunities, build bridges and identify dependencies. They help Dutch companies succeed abroad and advise Dutch nationals preparing to travel abroad. We keep lines of communication open, including with countries whose opinions we do not share. Our work supplements the Netherlands’ defence efforts: through diplomacy, aid and trade we help prevent the Netherlands from getting caught up in conflicts, crises or war.

Solid foundation

This also makes demands on our colleagues. We invest in their knowledge and skills so they can achieve results in a rapidly changing international context – and ensure Dutch nationals benefit too. At the same time, we need to invest in a solid foundation: the resilience of people and information systems.

Everyone contributes

Each staff member needs to do their part to ensure BZ meets legal requirements and achieves its organisational goals. That is why the Academy offers a number of indispensable learning activities, such as digital literacy, digital resilience and security training (the HEAT course) and the onboarding programme that all BZ staff worldwide are required to follow.

Essential training

‘Our staff face a lot of challenges in their day-to-day work,’ says learning and development coordinator Loes Vonk. ‘On the learning portal we present certain learning activities as essential. These are the minimum requirements they have to meet in order to do their job effectively, comply with legal obligations and contribute to BZ’s organisational goals. That clarity also justifies using work time and resources for learning and development. And that learning and development is integrated into staff’s daily work.’

Compulsory

Safety, quality and reliability are paramount in our work. That’s why the Information and Digital Innovation Department (IDI) and the Academy are jointly developing a compulsory e-learning course on digital resilience for all BZ staff. It will be available from 2026. This is an important project. As an organisation we want everyone to be familiar with the prevailing rules and guidelines. This not only boosts our professionalism, it also equips staff to deal with challenging situations.

IDI is creating the course content, while the Academy advises on which learning approach is most appropriate, how it can be made accessible and user-friendly, and how outcomes can be measured. This last point is important in order to assess course effectiveness. We also help to clarify what is expected of staff and how this is communicated.

Learning portal

At the Academy, we chose the learning portal after careful consideration because it gives us the facilities to set up this process technically and to monitor staff’s learning behaviour. This data shows whether we as an organisation are fulfilling our responsibilities and objectives, how we’re performing and what we need to improve. Unfortunately, not all the technical tools are operational yet and the learning portal is not yet fully integrated. We will continue to work on this in 2025.

Working together

The Academy offers a rich array of learning activities, but managers and staff also play an important role in meeting legal requirements and achieving BZ’s organisational goals. When staff make time for learning and development – and managers encourage them to do so – we all help keep the organisation future-proof.