Samenvatting

The following research justification report shows to which extent The Garage Innovation Studio needs to adapt its operations to make it a more appealing and viable replacement option for HZ students going on their minor, internship, or apprenticeship. Meeting the expectations and satisfying the needs of the participating students is crucial for The Garage to engage word-ofmouth marketing within the student community and ensure a continuous flow of students.

Three information gaps were recognized as basis for the research:
(1) Reasoning and motivation behind joining The Garage Innovation Studio pilot project within the initial group of students.
(2) Discovering interest about The Garage and how attractive their current style of operations is to the students at HZ University of Applied Sciences
(3) To which extent does The Garage prove a suitable replacement for students’ minor, internship, or apprenticeship to the current batch of student employees, and points of improvement according to them

To answer these questions literature research, descriptive research and field research was performed. Literature research was done in the fields of project-based learning, skill synthesis, collaborative & interdisciplinary teaching, and teacher leadership & guidance in projects. Initially, a survey was conducted to understand students’ initial motivation to join The Garage.
Further research was conducted through a survey to question the interest about The Garage and current ways of operations in the existing students in the Business & Vitality domain. Lastly, semi-structured interviews were done with the students in The Garage to question whether it is a suitable alternative for skill development otherwise lost through not having an internship, apprenticeship or minor.

Results show that The Garage does prove to be a suitable replacement for an internship, apprenticeship or minor as students do indeed feel as if they are developing skills, they would also gain through either of the three elements. However, there are four points of improvement that were discovered through the research and observations during the time at The Garage Innovation Studio. It is advised to take the recommendations into account for improved student satisfaction, skill development and spreading the word about The Garage Innovation Studio.

Recommendations on the possible improvements can be found thoroughly explained at the end of this research document and are as follows:
1) Start being present on social media outlets
2) Project related improvements
3) Create a social space and increase social activities
4) Personalize and decorate the current office making it more inviting for students

All recommendations can be implemented starting from next semester and up to 2 years, depending on the ease of implementation and circumstances concerning The Garage.
By taking the recommendations into account, The Garage Innovation Studio will increase satisfaction among the participating students making it easier to market and have a constant flow of incoming students.