CANPACK’s educational partnership with Jan van Brabant College in the Netherlands is a standout example of how our CSR outreach makes a real difference to young people’s lives.
A unique school for immigrant children
This school in Helmond province is exclusively for children from families who recently arrived from abroad. The college provides a warm and welcoming environment where they can adjust to unfamiliar surroundings, coming together to build their future in a new country on solid foundations.
The curriculum focuses on essential language support and on all aspects of personal, social and academic development that allows the young people to move into mainstream Dutch education after two years.
The challenges of diversity – a natural fit for CANPACK
One of the biggest challenges faced by staff is integrating and inspiring students from 40 different cultural backgrounds to work together.
This diversity closely mirrors CANPACK Netherlands own experience of forging a united and dynamic team from an international workforce of about 30 nationalities.
The company understands first-hand the challenges of relocation, language acquisition, and cultural adaptation, so partnering with the College feels like a natural fit.
A unique ‘CAN Design’ project
CANPACK is involved with various parts of the school’s important Level Up economics program, especially the regular CAN Design course. This unique project has become a real ‘WOW!’ for students and staff alike.
The project immerses students in the full journey of creating a beverage can, from concept development to marketing strategy. CANPACK’s Helene Verschuren describes the process:
“Each semester a class of students designs a can, creating a story around it. Then after each school year we choose a winner and we actually produce the can.”
Learning new skills through hands-on experience
This real-world dimension transforms the classroom into a business environment. Students explore production processes, branding techniques, and consumer engagement strategies before presenting their ideas to industry professionals.
The presentation is both exciting and demanding for the youngsters as they learn to interact and communicate in an adult setting. The experience pushes them to refine their language skills, and to think creatively, technically and commercially.
The project is more than a just competition. Students learn how cans are made, the role of packaging in brand identity and the importance of sustainability.
Self-discovery and new possibilities
They grapple with practical issues and project planning, gaining insights into the world of business and industrial manufacturing. Valuable lessons in organisation and teamwork are learned along the way too.
Most important of all, they see their own ideas turned into reality. The winning design is no longer just a classroom assignment, it has become a tangible product. This is always greeted with an excited chorus of “WOW!” from the students as the finished can is revealed.
“Through this hands-on experience, young people often discover new talents – artistic, entrepreneurial, technical, administrative – they didn’t realise they had,” explains Helene Verschuren. “New possibilities and career paths are opened up for them, shaping educational choices they make in order to achieve their dreams.”
Mutual benefit for CANPACK employees
CANPACK employees who join the initiative find it equally rewarding, as Thijs Haster from our Helmond factory confirms:
“It was good to do something outside of day-to-day work activities. I really see that we can help the children to reach their next potential. It shows us that we, as CANPACK, could do something extra for the community, and it is really tangible”.
The company also helps to organise the annual Girls Day at the college. This nationwide event in the Netherlands aims at encouraging girls aged 10–15 to explore careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) to break stereotypes about women in engineering and reduce the gender gap in technical fields.
Transforming young lives, investing in our future
Students leave Jan van Brabant College equipped with the skills they need to succeed. They often come back a few years later to share their success stories. Then it’s the teachers’ turn say “WOW!” when they see such heart-warming transformations.
Once strangers in a strange country and struggling with the language have become confident and ambitious young adults. Some are holding their own at university, others are already settled into their dream jobs. Some are even running their own businesses.
Based on shared values respect, this collaboration shows what is possible when we invest time and effort in our young people, wherever they come from.
