You might have noticed it: something has happened in Barneveld. The name of the educational institute on the Barnseweg has changed. Next to that, PTC+ has been replaced by 'Aeres'; the name of the umbrella institution. We spoke to Joep Houterman, a member of the Aeres board of directors, about the finer points of this transformation.
Aeres, the umbrella over the 'old' PTC+, Groenhorst Barneveld, Curriculum Centre Animal Care Barneveld, is a “green” knowledge institute. Education and research are the institute’s core subjects. Under the green umbrella of Aeres lie many levels of education: practical education, VMBO, MBO, HBO, Master, and separate modules. Additionally, Aeres offers practical and theoretical training centres, teacher training and practical research. In short: a complete package for learning, development, and innovation.
“All forms of education offered by Aeres are connected,” explains Joep Houterman. “This name change emphasizes that. Thus, there are many fundamental relationships between the different educational institutions of Aeres. And now that they are all known as ‘Aeres’, their connection is much clearer. Students know: I'm going to study at an institute where knowledge is shared at different levels in my area of interest. Businesses understand: green knowledge is present at every level under this umbrella.”
Houterman tells us that Aeres identified a new strategy in 2015, called the ‘connecting perspective’. “This lays out the goal development for the Aeres group,” says Houterman. “Among other things, we are promoting our commonality more strongly.”
Previously, the Aeres educational institutions formed a fragmented landscape of eleven different names, house styles, and organizations. “That's why we decided to let the old names go, and continue under the name Aeres. But we wanted to give clarity by including a recognizable name behind ‘Aeres’. The underlying thought is that we show that we are connected, but that we are also made up of separate units that all offer something different. This change of name creates a lot of unity, but, of course, we cherish the individuality of the different divisions. Each educational division has its own identity. It’s not only nurtured by the employees but also by us. The specific identities, for example, that of PTC+, will remain. Only the name will be different.”
Houterman understands that not only employees, but also students of the former PTC+ might have mixed feelings about the disappearance of the name Groenhorst. “These feelings are always associated with strong names. A beautiful sentiment, but change – which often includes saying goodbye –also tends to bring a lot of good. In the past, I worked at the Practical School Barneveld, which later became PTC+. Change is part of life, and learning is the engine for growth and change. Because the world around us changes every day, you can keep on learning your whole life long. That's possible at Aeres.”
Joep Houterman is a member of the Aeres board of directors. He studied Zoology in Wageningen and specialized in tropical livestock farming. Houterman worked in agricultural education, among others as a trainer in Barneveld. Then he undertook development work abroad, gave international business advice, and worked on several international projects in the field of knowledge development. Through NUFFIC, the Dutch organization for the internationalization of education with which he was connected for ten years, Houterman is back in the green sector.
The Aeres logo consists of two parts: the logo and the content branding. These are used inseparably and in a fixed relationship in one form at the background level. The background of the logo is also 'protected space'.
Each branded figure consists of three spheres, two of which are solid colors (Aeres green and Aeres light green); the third sphere has the secondary color of the (sub) brand. The background consists of the primary color of the (sub) brand. Each sub brand has its own logo with a unique color combination and its own symbolism.
The symbolism of the sub brand logos was developed on the basis of the two basic logo spheres from the main brand, combined with its own third sphere.