SkillsTown launches academies in Suriname and South Africa

Dutch online training provider SkillsTown will not only focus on the Dutch market from now on, but is expanding internationally to Belgium, Suriname and South Africa, among others. This under the leadership of Bart Hogendoorn, former Managing Director at HP and SAP, among others.

International Steps

In the Netherlands, SkillsTown has already become the online training provider for professionals and now SkillsTown wants to achieve the same in the international market. "Our goal is to contribute to the continuous development of people and organizations and enable them to adapt to the changing world around them. Not only in the Netherlands, but also internationally we want to be able to offer that added value to professionals," said Hans Schuurmans, CEO of SkillsTown.

"I have known Bart for years and know that he stands for the same values as SkillsTown. The first orders from Belgium, Suriname and South Africa are already in and in the near future we will continue to conquer that market together with Bart."

Activities in South Africa

SkillsTown South Africa will launch immediately with approximately 100 of their most popular training courses, with new - and local - content being added monthly. In addition, SkillsTown South Africa will partner with SETA-accredited organizations to ensure compliance with the B-BBEE scorecard, and with specific sectoral content providers to meet the needs of customers requiring a learning experience platform in a particular sector. Bart Hogendoorn will lead the local team based in Johannesburg.

"A good education gives people future prospects and creates more equal opportunities for all."

Bart Hogendoorn, Managing Director SkillsTown International: "The popularity of online learning is increasing rapidly worldwide. For me it was therefore soon clear that with SkillsTown's online learning solutions we have a great opportunity to become an important player internationally as well. I myself lived in South Africa for many years. South Africa is not only the gateway to Africa, but SkillsTown's solutions can also play an important role in the development of the country and its people. After all, a good education gives people future prospects and creates more equal opportunities for everyone."

Kevin Hardy will assume the role of Managing Director SkillsTown South Africa on site. "We offer our clients a fully customized digital learning experience," explains Kevin Hardy, Managing director SkillsTown South Africa. "Not only does it have the look and feel of the organization, but companies can quickly and easily create their own content specific to their business needs."

More information about SkillsTown's activities in South Africa can be found on the local website: www.skillstown.co.za.

About Bart Hogendoorn

During his career, Bart Hogendoorn has been primarily active in the ICT sector. Hogendoorn started his career in 1988 at hardware supplier NCR. In 1995, Hogendoorn decided to leave for South Africa where he made a brief transition to the banking sector as General Manager within the ABSA Group. He then worked as Director of Financial Services in South Africa at German ERP vendor SAP.

Within SAP, Bart went through a successful career. He worked successively as Vice President Banking and Insurance, Managing Director SAP Netherlands, and then became Senior Vice President Europe. After that Bart started as Managing Director at HP Netherlands and in 2016 he made the move to Famed as CEO. Since October 1 this year, Bart is Managing Director SkillsTown International and will lead the international arm of online training provider SkillsTown.

Do you have questions about this post?

We would be happy to tell you more about it. Please do not hesitate to contact us.