The following blog post was written by Avanade alum Pieter Wickel.

In May 2014, we started a pilot with the Amsterdam Business School to create a tailor-made premaster MBA like program for Avanade employees. The program aims to provide our experts with tools to bridge the gap between business challenges and our own IT-solutions. We’ve named the program the Avanade Business School.

The theme for the pilot module was “branding” and consisted of 21 Avanade consultants who attended multiple lectures over a 6-week period. For their final assignment, they were required to make an analysis of the Avanade brand and make suggestions for improvement. At the end of the module, all participants received a certificate of completion. Participants have been very happy with the program telling us they’ve learned a great deal about how branding strategies are incorporated into every aspect of an organization.

Because of the success we’ve had with our first course, we decided to continue our partnership with the Amsterdam Business School by announcing two more modules: “Corporate Finance” and “Business Strategy.” There are also plans to cover subjects such as “Operational Excellence/Lean” and “Big Data.”

To celebrate the achievements, the business school organized a signing ceremony, where our General Manager, André Huizing visited the Amsterdam Business School to officially kick start the collaboration. In addition to the modules, Avanade employees also received a special corporate discount for the MBA programs at the Amsterdam Business School.  In addition, Amsterdam Business School alumni working at Avanade have the opportunity to follow other MBA courses at no cost.

This is truly a win-win situation for Avanade employees and the Amsterdam Business School. The school is starting a new part-time MBA program in Big Data and Business Analytics – the first one in Europe - and one of our own employees was the first student to officially register. The courses provide Avanade consultants with valuable insights needed to solve today’s digital challenges. In the end, this will enable us to offer the best possible service to our clients.