Code of conduct

As an organisation, Aeres is committed to making a contribution to: sustainable food production and distribution, a sustainable living environment, nature, and countryside, a healthy lifestyle, and lifelong learning. That’s what drives Aeres: the social responsibility of supporting people in their development into global citizens and enterprising professionals.

This means that we:

• take responsibility for and make a contribution to a more sustainable world;
• use sustainability as a criterion in our construction and tendering processes and our business operations;
• treat the animals in our various training facilities in an animal-friendly way;
• use resources with care (data, money, equipment, furniture, etc.);
• handle reports of integrity violation with care;
• are alert to situations in which others feel that they have not been treated with respect, with equality as a basic value;
• do everything we can to stimulate our students’ development and increase their chances of educational success;
• conduct ourselves in such a way that we do not disadvantage (parts of) Aeres, or benefit ourselves at the expense of
(parts of) Aeres.

Transparent

Aeres is committed to transparency. Transparency applies at all levels, in our work with students and with employees, and
as establishments within the organisation in our dealings with external business contacts and organisations. Being open
means that others are able to see what happens. It ensures that our intentions are clear. Honesty and fairness are the basic
principles behind everything we do. We work carefully. We respect the privacy of our students, staff, external business
contacts, and applicants, including when using electronic communications.

This means that:
• we create a work and study atmosphere in which it’s normal to look beyond the boundaries of one’s own work;
• we realise that we are interdependent when it comes to our professional conduct. This means that our norm within
Aeres is to realise a working atmosphere of mutual trust, in which we are open to feedback from others;
• regardless of our position in the organisation, we accept different views and opinions and, wherever possible, use them
as a driver for development;
• stakeholders are able to show how the work processes are structured and how decisions are substantiated. There are
no hidden agendas;
• we keep our information clearly organised, in a way that is accessible to stakeholders;
• we carry out our checks transparently and ensure that we comply with external and internal regulations;
• we want to learn from mistakes. This demands self-explanatory reporting and accessible analysis of incidents,
misunderstandings and mistakes, as well as ways to overcome them.

Professional

Conscientious professionalism and professional job performance are, for us, the basis of our organisation’s quality and cohesion.
Each of us adheres to the written and unwritten rules that apply to our own position and its associated roles and tasks.

This means that:
• we are aware of our individual responsibility for the mental and physical safety of everyone who works and studies at
Aeres and its associated organisations;
• we handle the power relationship with students responsibly;
• when in managerial positions, we treat staff responsibly and with respect, and encourage them to treat each other in
the same way;
• a family member cannot supervise another family member;
• we recognise the importance of setting a good example. This applies not only to managers, but also to staff amongst
themselves and to how we conduct ourselves with regard to students and the outside world;
• we give careful consideration to professional decisions in which personal and/or organisational interests also play a role;
• we carry out each assessment carefully and without influence;
• we give honest information about our courses, so that potential students can make the best possible choice. The
student’s development and the career prospects are always the central factor;
• when designing and conducting research, we adhere to internationally recognised principles of research integrity;
• when making appointments, we ensure that candidates have fair and equal opportunities.