“The quality of your collaboration also depends on your promptness as a client”

Paul Helbing, Director of Marketing & Communications at Leiden University of Applied Sciences, on the long-term collaboration with Babbage.

“The quality of your collaboration also depends on your promptness as a client.”

Designing your own future, further developing the professional sectors and practice-oriented research. Only a part of everything you find in higher (vocational) education. This domain with all its challenges is exactly what has made the heart of Director Marketing & Communication Paul Helbing beat faster for decades. With his more than 20 years of experience, he takes us into the world of colleges and universities. And we look back on the long collaboration with Babbage.

Paul started his career as an interim professional and occasionally taught at the Inholland University of Applied Sciences and the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. 'I did this in addition to assignments in the field of communications,' Paul explains. 'Later, I was asked to work as a permanent spokesperson at the Utrecht University of Applied Sciences, the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences and the UVA. From 2012, as Director of Communications at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, I built a professional team and in 2022 I made the switch to the Leiden University of Applied Sciences.'

The future is developing in education

Paul has always been interested in education. 'Education is really about something. People come there to shape their future or to develop further. It is an incredibly important task in higher education to facilitate that well. That is the product of our organization.'

'And I see that every day. HBO focuses on large, national themes that are really needed, such as the teacher shortage, environmental issues, juvenile delinquency, research that benefits healthcare, you name it! And that fascinates me. I think that's great!'

Lifelong learning

Through his extensive experience, Paul also sees that education is constantly evolving. 'You see in recent years that students not only come to learn a trade, but after their studies they also focus on the further development of themselves and the professional sector.'

'A tribute to the lecturers who play a substantive role in this. Of course, I am from the Marketing and Communications department, so my role is slightly different. For example, if you ask a 40-year-old: “what does a university of applied sciences do?” You often hear that it is a follow-up step from the havo/vwo who are going to follow a bachelor's degree. That is also true, but much more happens. These same people can also return to the university of applied sciences later in their careers. And it is great to make people aware of that.'

Collaboration with Babbage

Not only does Paul have a long-standing relationship with education, he has also worked with Babbage for a long time. 'At one point I was looking for new communication professionals for my team at the HvA and I started looking around. There are of course all kinds of recruitment agencies, but Babbage really specializes in the field of marketing and communication. There are not many of those, so I ended up at Babbage quite quickly.'

Over the years, Paul has found the right match for hard-to-fill positions, such as senior spokespersons and specialists in online or internal communication, via Babbage, both permanent and interim. Also recently, during the construction of his new 'dream team' at the Hogeschool Leiden, Babbage was able to add indispensable links, such as a CRM Marketer and a Corporate Communications Advisor.

'What I find characteristic of Babbage is the direct communication that is fast and good,' Paul continues. 'I have seen Babbage grow enormously this decade and see the labor market change. But if I needed Monique van Vliet (or previously Lieke Severijns, founder and former director of Babbage), I could get them on the phone within an hour.'

Good briefing, right match

'From my perspective, working with Babbage is like working with ChatGPT. The quality of what it delivers depends on your prompt. The specification of my question determines who finds Babbage. A constant factor like Monique is nice. We know and understand each other. Monique understands the question behind the vacancy and the profile, and knows exactly what I mean when I talk about specific competencies or personality traits. That is the basis of our long-term collaboration, in which I can give very direct feedback.

'Ultimately, it is and remains a joint quest, in which you have to invest from both sides. And you have to be sure that you understand each other. And keep checking that! Monique and I know each other well enough to drink a cup of coffee together on a rainy Friday morning and discuss the developments in the educational domain and the profession.

Testimonial Paul Helbing, Director of Marketing & Communications at Leiden University of Applied Sciences
'What I find characteristic of Babbage is the direct communication that is fast and good,' Paul continues. 'I have seen Babbage grow enormously this decade and see the labor market change. But if I needed Monique van Vliet (or previously Lieke Severijns, founder and former director of Babbage), I could get them on the phone within an hour.'