New Educational Member Brings Ghent Workgroup Right Back to its Roots

The Ghent Workgroup (GWG) has its roots – as the name implies – in a series of meetings between standard organizations in the city of Ghent, Belgium. Those initial meetings took place at the premises of the Artevelde University. Over the years the group returned there a number of times to meet or hold seminars. It is with great pleasure that the Ghent Workgroup announces that the Artevelde University of Applied Sciences is joining the group as its latest educational member.

Artevelde University of Applied Sciences is the biggest in its class in Flanders and stands for innovation and quality. It is a center of expertise in a warm and professional setting and provides an educational framework of high level. More than 15.000 students are spread over five networks: each thoroughly expert in their proper field.

In the expertise network “Communication, Media and Design”, students can opt for a bachelor in Graphical and Digital Media. In this specific bachelor’s degree, they can choose one of four final degrees:

Cross media Design,
Media Management and Technology,
New Media Development, or
Audiovisual Design.

Each of these directions is one hundred percent focused on practical skills and is in close relationship with the professional world. Creativity, innovation and technology go hand in hand to provide our students with the greatest skills needed for a high-level professional career. We can state that after six months ninety percent of our graduating students have found a job or have started their own company.

Luc Berth, Prepress and Workflow lecturer at Artevelde University explains: “Belgium harbors a remarkable collection of important players in the graphic arts market. We are very proud to have been involved at the origin of the Ghent Workgroup and to have been able to make a contribution to the basic principles of quality control in our industry. The close interaction between education and industry remains critically important. We’re pleased to now not only educate our students about the Ghent Workgroup but to be a member of it”.

David van Driessche, Executive Director from the Ghent Workgroup remembers: “I was part of those initial meetings of the Ghent Workgroup; they were held right on campus at Artevelde University. From the very start we had a great working relationship. At that time educational institutions could not join the Ghent Workgroup. We added that possibility only much later. I’m thrilled to see Artevelde University now joining the group and I’m looking forward to working together even closer. The GWG focuses a lot of energy on outreach, so more people can use the tools we create and the knowledge we have to share. Connecting to educational institutions plays a key role in that”.