Welcome! We are Competence

Passionate to create impact

At Competence we believe that when professional development and personal growth go hand in hand, people, teams and organizations become stronger. That same belief extends to a personal approach: warm, committed and involved. Our passionate teams strive to achieve the best possible quality and service. We deliver first-rate international accredited training programs in Europe. 

Official license partner

As a training institute we are proud to be an official license partner of the Co-Active Training Institute (CTI), CRR Global Leadership Embodiment and Relevance. Our portfolio consists of ICF and LPI accredited training programs;

• Co-Active Coach and Leadership Pathways
• Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC)
• Leadership Embodiment
• Relevance Core Programs

Our history

Competence Training Institute is part of Schouten & Nelissen, a family owned company with its headquarters in Zaltbommel, the Netherlands. Our company has grown from a local family business into an internationally operating organization and is known worldwide for its first class soft skills training programs. 

It all started in 1980
Jan Schouten founded Schouten & Nelissen in 1980 and focused mainly on assertiveness training programs. Based on his dissertation ‘Freedom in work’ (“Vrijheid in werken”), Jan Schouten was one of the pioneers in Europe who focused on this topic.

Over the years the company has grown from a local family business into an international concern. Although still very involved in assertiveness the company now excels in a multitude of other topics. With the same passion and quality, we are now integrating all our years of expertise into an extensive range of accredited formal education and training programs.

Read the story about Jan Schouten's pioneering work here. 

Proud partner of CTI, CRR Global, Leadership Embodiment and Relevance

At Competence we deliver first-rate international accredited training programs in partnership with CTI, CRR Global, Leadership Embodiment and Relevance in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, Denmark and Sweden. Our clients consists of a wide variety of organizations and professionals worldwide.

The Co-Active Training Institute (CTI) is the largest and most established professional coach training organization in the world. CTI has trained more than 145.000 coaches, including employees in more than a third of Fortune 100 companies. CTI believes everyone is continually moving on a journey of transformation.

CTI and Competence have a strong and longstanding relationship, and we both believe that people are naturally, creative, resourceful and whole. It is our mission to empower more people to live a fulfilling life.

CRR Global was founded in 2007, by Faith Fuller and Marita Fridjhon. The first ORSC Certification was launched in February 2008. Over time CRR Global expanded their coaching model to include innovative theories and programs in Relationship Systems Intelligence (RSI) and Systems-Inspired Leadership (SIL). CRR Global currently has partners in 15+ countries and over 665 certified practitioners around the globe.

CRR Global and Competence both believe in the power of a strong and empowered relationship. We feel honored to build and grow together, with our participants, faculty, colleagues and the larger system.

Wendy Palmer, the founder of Leadership Embodiment, died on Friday, 2 December 2022. She devoted her life to practising the techniques she developed. Through her teaching, she touched and inspired many people in her lifetime, making the principles of Aikido, neuroscience and mindfulness available and applicable. She developed simple and profound practices to help us shift into a more resourceful state when under pressure, so we can respond with grace to challenging situations and make a positive contribution. Wendy’s humour and humanity will be missed. Her practical wisdom will live on in Leadership Embodiment.

Our partnering Leadership Embodiment-distributor AnoukA Academy, founded by Anouk Brack is the associate partner of Leadership Embodiment. She is the first certified Leadership Embodiment trainer in the Netherlands, founded the Centre for Embodied Wisdom with two English colleagues in 2013. In 2017 she brought together all her knowledge and experience in the book 'The Hidden Dimension of Leadership', which was also nominated for management book of the year.

Leadership Embodiment and Competence are on a mission together to support leaders in their authentic leadership presence. So that the mind, body, emotions and intuition can serve them well while facing challenges in today’s continuously changing world.

Relevance accelerates learning on a global scale in the areas of leadership, power skills, and change management. The combination of technology and people produces personal, adaptive and social blended learning experiences.

Relevance is a Schouten & Nelissen brand, and has encouraged people to continue developing themselves for more than 40 years. In today’s dynamic world, it's crucial to adapt. Relevance has more than 300 colleagues who support their clients and a network of 700+ strategically located trainers and coaches. To date, Relevance has served the needs of more than 5,000 organizations worldwide.

Relevance and Competence both focus on empowering people to develop their strengths alongside with identifying and improving their weaknesses. We strive to impact their lives.