Discover how Dirksen went paperless with Remindo, cut exam office workload by one FTE, and created room to automate more of their exam processes.
The Challenge: Paper Exams, Fragile Equipment, and Growing Automation Needs
Dirksen evolved from an electronics training specialist into a comprehensive technical ICT training provider and was the Netherlands’ first distance-learning organisation. Until 2022, exams for their MBO and HBO programmes remained partially paper-based.
George de Jongh, general director and leader of the transition, explained: “We did everything on paper. Two people worked in the exam office; booklets were put together, sent out in envelopes, and then had to come back and be scanned.”
Scanning relied on a single vulnerable machine. De Jongh reflected: “For years I asked myself: if that scanner breaks down, what do we do then?”
The organisation needed to reduce paper usage, minimise manual labour, and implement automated testing processes.
The Solution: An Exam-Specific Platform
An IT colleague’s recommendation introduced Dirksen to Remindo, a platform designed for exam compilation and administration.
De Jongh stated: “It was exactly what we needed.”
Implementation began in autumn 2024 with structured onboarding sessions from Remindo. De Jongh recalled: “We had about five sessions, together with several of our people. They were recorded, so you could look back later on how to work with it. It all went very smoothly.”
The team entered exam questions independently. De Jongh described the experience: “The transition went flawlessly. That was my biggest fear: another automation project that, from experience, you know can go in all directions and take ages before it works. But this went seamlessly: nothing went wrong. And whenever a question did come up, the helpdesk was quick. You’d give them a call, get some smart tips, and it was usually sorted within the hour.”
Active platform usage began in early 2025.
The Results: Reduced Workload, Eliminated Paper, Innovation Opportunities
The most significant benefit emerged in exam administration efficiency.
De Jongh noted: “We now have one FTE less in the exam office. And the person who stayed went from stressful situations to doing her job in a fairly relaxed way.”
Paper consumption dropped substantially along with associated costs and manual processes. De Jongh explained: “There’s no more paper involved. No more shipping costs, and all the work around it: taking pages out of the printer, putting them in envelopes, sending them off and getting them back. Administering the exams themselves has also become simpler. And if a paper printout is still needed at test locations (or abroad), we can easily facilitate that with the print-and-scan function.”
The transition sparked broader organisational innovation. De Jongh observed: “We’re now seeing that automation can genuinely make a difference. That inspires more of: hey, this could be automated too. That makes us more efficient and more effective.”
Future initiatives include exploring practical assessments through Remindo and deepening platform integration with their student tracking and registration system.
De Jongh concluded: “It remains the smoothest implementation of an IT system I’ve ever experienced.”
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