Student Life

Hotelschool x LinkedIn Learning: Enhance your skills

Hotelschool The Hague launched LinkedIn Learning about a year ago. LinkedIn Learning is an online educational platform that provides thousands of courses in several languages, delivered by real-world industry experts from around the world. Enhance your skills by choosing courses from the fields of Business, Technology, Creative Industries as well as professional and personal development.

As an optional step, you can connect your learning with your LinkedIn profile if you have one, allowing you to display certificates of course completion to improve your profile. You can add your completed courses to your Linkedin profile (edubadges) to share it with your network or include them in your resume! This allows you to work on your personal branding. You can complete courses at your own pace, choose small or longer content, or even download content for offline use in some cases.

It is accessed by going directly to the LinkedIn Learning homepage and clicking the ‘Sign in’ button at the top of the screen, then entering your HTH email address and clicking ‘Continue’ to allow login with HTH Username and Password credentials.

* Please note that a personal account costs 30 euros per month per user. As HTH we arranged an institutional account that makes it ‘free’ for all HTH staff and students!

Menno de Vos: The person behind Linkedin Learning for HTH

Menno de Vos, Programme Manager Digital Transformation HTH, was in charge of making the use of LinkedIn Learning possible for students. His goal was to give HTH students the opportunity to improve both their quality study time and quantity time.

“As Hotelschool The Hague there are various topics that we don't teach in our regular curricula. This way students have access to a lot of content that might have added value for them. Students can work on their professional skills, but also increase their personal development skills."

Menno de Vos

The implementation of LinkedIn Learning also serves a purpose for Blended Learning and ‘Flipping the Classroom’; "if students have access to basic knowledge clips prior to class, the class can become a platform for more interactivity and in-depth discussions such as case studies where they actually put theory into practice”, Menno said. “Making use of educational videos (knowledge clips) is actually one of the most important elements in making our education more time- and place independently. That is why I am very happy with the upcoming renovation: HTH will have a proper AV-studio on the new campus. The AV Studio can be used by staff AND students, with the support of an AV-professional," he added.

So far, results have shown that 52% of our students have used the platform during the first year with almost 4000 courses completed. Linkedin insights showed that Human Resources, Talent Management & Organizational Leadership are some of the most popular topics among our students. Next to that we also see topics related to Project Management and Finance are rather popular! But the project does not end here, as Menno de Vos is eager to expand its potentials. According to him, "Linkedin Learning could possibly include alumni. And maybe our own teachers feel inspired to create their online courses and contribute this to the LinkedIn Learning platform? We can create our own learning paths in the system as well. The LinkedIn learning project already started before COVID-19 but it’s taken flight because of it. As blended learning options are not restrained by time and place consuming valuable information becomes possible for anyone whenever they want, wherever they are."

Nicola Bandera: A student’s LinkedIn Learning Journey

Nicola Bandera is an Italian 25-year-old student at Hotelschool The Hague. His involvement with LinkedIn Learning was initiated when he wanted to acquire EXCEL skills to prepare for his APC exam. Since then, he has already completed over 50 courses on the LinkedIn Learning platform in this spare time.

While one of his interests is mountain running, Nicola has been completing courses during his training. Through this platform, he can tap into his own personal development potential thanks to the HTH license with LinkedIn Learning. A significant factor for him attending so many courses is also the membership price. If it wasn't for the institutional deal between HTH and LinkedIn, Nicola probably wouldn’t be able to afford it.

Get to know Nicola

"I studied in a hospitality high school in Italy and when I was 18, I participated on an Erasmus programme; I moved to Helsinki for six months, where I worked as a trainee chef. Upon returning to Italy, I joined the Bachelor's degree in Viticulture and Oenology at the University of Milan, but I quit after 6 months and went back to work. I worked as a cook in different hotels and restaurants, including Michelin-stared ones, until the age of 22; that's when I decided to go back to study. This was induced by my constant willingness to explore and learn new topics, and my growing interest in the managerial part of the hotel business. My most recent working experience was as an Assistant Concierge/ Front desk agent in a 5-star luxury hotel in the Italian Dolomites, the Hotel Rosa Alpina. This is a workplace where I am to come back in the upcoming future.