Statement about the new workshop policy

As of the 1st of September 2025, it will no longer be possible for alumni to use the workshops at the HKU. In the past, the rule was that this was allowed in the academic year immediately after your graduation. All students who are currently doing a bachelor’s, master’s or associate’s degree will no longer be able to use this arrangement.

The cancellation of this arrangement was communicated to HKU students on the 1st of April via a short message on the Studentportal. This message states that the CvB (Executive Board) has taken this decision because (part of) the money that keeps the workshop running comes from the government. According to a government policy rule, this money may not be used for ’external parties’ (in this case, graduates). However, the policy rule has been in effect since 2022; it is unclear why this would only influence the CvB’s decision on the alumni arrangement now. It is also unclear why this policy rule would only affect the HKU; other universities of applied sciences (such as the KABK) still maintain a similar alumni arrangement. The CvB of the KABK seems to not have chosen to stop the rule for the use of workshops for their graduates.

The student union does not agree with the cancellation of this arrangement. It is of great importance for the future of HKU graduates that this does not happen. Moreover, students chose their education with the idea that they could continue to use the workshops for a while after graduating. This was not communicated to all students in a timely or effective manner. The list of alternative workshops in the message on the Studentportal cannot be compared to the facilities that are currently available at the HKU. It is of great importance that these facilities remain available for alumni. It is especially crucial for (international) students who have a (financial or other) disadvantage.

As a student union, we are open to your ideas. Do you have something you want to change, something big, or something small? Let us know!

One of the things we are currently working on is the removal of the alumni working at the workshops, but your proposal may encompass any aspect of your time at the HKU.

We’ve been very busy working on this over the past months, read the full update here.