Problem addressed
Many people who receive care or guidance from institutions struggle to find or keep regular paid work, despite having talents and motivation to contribute. They are often seen primarily as “clients” instead of colleagues, which limits their opportunities for development, autonomy, and participation in society. At the same time, employers experience a gap between their ambition for social responsibility and concrete ways to involve people with support needs in their teams. This leads to underused labour potential, persistent exclusion from the labour market, and a missed opportunity to build more diverse, socially cohesive workplaces in and around Apeldoorn.
Innovative solution
Campus Woudhuis operates as a green work–learn company and living lab for inclusive entrepreneurship on the Woudhuis estate near Apeldoorn. The campus offers practical work in nature management, hospitality, activities on the estate, and projects with nearby employers (“common grounds”), combined with coaching and learning trajectories. People who find it difficult to access regular work are hired through open hiring: everyone who can and wants to contribute is welcome, without heavy selection procedures or stigmatising labels. Partners IVN, Natuurmonumenten, ’s Heeren Loo and De Onderwijsspecialisten jointly run the cooperative estate and knowledge centre, connecting care, education, nature organisations and employers around one inclusive workplace.
Key results and benefits
On Campus Woudhuis, around 35 people with very diverse backgrounds work together on meaningful tasks, ranging from nature management and hospitality to research and learning projects. Participants “bloom” by doing what they enjoy, discovering talents, gaining work experience, and increasingly co-deciding on the future of the campus. The environment deliberately avoids the word “client”, which strengthens equality, pride, and ownership among workers. Employers on and around the estate benefit from motivated staff, higher job satisfaction in teams, and a more diverse workforce that reduces the need for traditional day-care arrangements. Through its knowledge platform with partners such as Movisie, universities of applied sciences and WUR, the campus also generates insights for broader practice and policy on inclusive work.
Potential for mainstreaming
Campus Woudhuis demonstrates how a cooperative, nature-based work–learn environment can bridge care, education and labour market inclusion at regional level. Its model—combining open hiring, on-the-job learning, and shared responsibility between employers and care/education partners—can be adapted to other estates, business parks or community hubs across Europe. The initiative aligns with ESF+ priorities on inclusive labour markets, skills development and socially sustainable, green local economies, and has already attracted support from public and philanthropic partners such as the Province of Gelderland and the Goldschmeding Foundation. Embedding similar campuses in regional strategies and EU-funded programmes could systematically expand opportunities for people with support needs to move into regular work and active citizenship.
