‘I didn’t really know what I had got myself into as team leader, but it turned out for the best.’

But first back to the beginning. After studying educational sciences in Utrecht, Daniëlle Ouwejan and her husband decided to go and live and work in Paris for a few years. “I gave English and Dutch lessons in the business world. Afterwards we went to England, where I did research into adoption and foster care. That was somewhat closer to my original subject area.” After returning to the Netherlands and having children, Daniëlle found herself looking for a new job in 2017: “A friend told me that the Saxion Podiatry study programme was looking for a study career counsellor, as temporary replacement for someone on maternity leave. This is really something for you, she said. I had previously done some work for the School of Applied Psychology & Human Resource Management at Saxion, but personally would have never have applied for a position as lecturer/researcher podiatry. Since it was more about ‘study career counselling’, I decided to go for it.

Broad base

The role turned out to suit Daniëlle well. She enjoyed the contact with students. After six months as study career counsellor, she was given the option of staying on. And despite not being a podiatrist, Daniëlle was able to supervise her students’ graduation research assignments at process level without difficulty, she says. Just as subjects covering documentation, psychology and communication. “I had quite a broad background thanks to my own study and work experience. And being a student mentor also went well. After a two year flex contract, there were sadly no positions available for a permanent contract. Basically everyone thought it was a shame: students, colleagues and also myself. And so came my leaving day. My account had already been cancelled, there was coffee and cake, I got flowers and gifts. However, I hadn’t envisaged that a much bigger gift would come my way.”

Complete overview

The previous day her team leader had let it be known that they wanted to stop work, she says. And so on her very last day Daniëlle was asked if she would be willing to stay on. “I didn’t need any time to consider it. I had enjoyed being here so much. After a while I started taking over more team leader duties until I became the actual team leader. That it worked out that way was truly exceptional.” Now Daniëlle is Team Leader of the Podiatry Lecturing Team. A small but agile team, with ten colleagues. She is also responsible for the future of the study programme, deployment schedule and duties relating to student and staff satisfaction. “That’s what I like about working in such a small team. I can contribute across the board and in so doing have a complete overview of everything that needs to be done. Having been a lecturer myself, I already had a clear picture of how things work in practice. Or I saw opportunities to organise things differently. I was also given a lot of room to do as I saw fit.”

Young profession

How does Daniëlle explore future developments for the profession that she unexpectedly ended up in? “When it comes to professional aspects, I rely a lot on my colleagues. We work with a five year plan and within that an annual plan for the study programme. I gain a lot of knowledge working this way. We have considerable contact with the professional field. Through the internship practices of course, but also through our professional association and equivalent study programme in Eindhoven. Many colleagues work with us part time and also work in the professional field. This gives us a strong connection with professional practice. Podiatry is a relatively young profession. It is still very dynamic. It is important to look together at how and when to include changes in the field in education. This needs to be considered properly and capitalised on in the right way.”

Collaboration outside the study programme

Another major development is technology, says Daniëlle. This has led to changes in the way traditional hand-crafted soles are made. Feet are scanned, modelled in the computer, then a machine does the milling. “We need to keep up to date if we want to stay in touch with practice. This is why we also cooperate with a regional partner who keeps part of the programme’s equipment up to date. And of course, 3D printing has really taken off. We also link these developments to the programme. And we also link up with other disciplines. For example with the new Saxion study route Biomechanical Engineering. We have talked about combining student groups from both disciplines, so they can work together on designing and 3D printing of applications for soles and shoes. In education, we also regularly work with Physiotherapy as related study programme. Our students are not only busy with their own discipline, but also need to develop lots of other skills. For example in the areas of communication and entrepreneurship. In the case of the latter, there has been good collaboration this year with the Saxion Centre for Entrepreneurship. A couple of students thought up an application as therapy for children. If such an app can actually be developed, then it will be great that we as applied university, can offer our students a wide range of opportunities to go and research this further.”

Outside your comfort zone

It is this broad scope that also appeals to her, she says: “I personally, really enjoy the fact that you are not just stuck in one specific discipline. That a certificate or programme automatically determines the kind of work you will and can do. It is just so much better that you make the most of your own character traits and talents. That you can use them in a different way than what you had originally thought. In this sense I hadn’t foreseen my own path either. I am extremely happy in my current position. I really enjoy the fact that I can work so independently, make my own decisions. I get a lot of say and responsibility. And yes, the broad scope. From considering a detail in the programme to a matter relating to internationalisation. From small to big. I can also contribute ideas to the school’s policy and strategy.

A love of variety

Two years ago I did a talent and motivation analysis. The results showed a love of variety and taking my own responsibility. And what is also so fine, is that we have a management team at our school that really supports you. Everything can be discussed. And if at some point you want to go for something out of the box, then you can. This gives you room to experience things for yourself, to learn by yourself. This led me to sign up to go and help doing internal audits of study programmes throughout Saxion. I’m sure it will be very interesting and educational. In fact, new opportunities keep on presenting themselves. The position I now have, was initially completely outside my comfort zone. I didn’t really know what I had got myself into as team leader, but it turned out for the best. At Saxion you are given the freedom and space to grow. I have experienced that personally.”

Photography: Thomas Busschers