The emerging knowledge society is one of the main reasons that underlie the emergence of the interactive combination of learning and working in the university curriculum. Universities will be able to benefit from knowledge-intensive organisations when they become knowledge productive partners. The dual academie training can be an important instrument in developing knowledge networks in which universities and organizations participate. Though there are several other drivers for a cooperative dual university training systern (the early introduction to a complex job market and the influence of recent educational psychology). this education form raises a lot of questions in the Netherlands. The fear for the loss of academie level and autonomy of the university-programmes inhibit the acceptance of coop academie education. Based on a literature study and secondary analysis of evaluation and policy studies with relation to coop academie education. The drivers for the development of coop academie education as well as the factors that inhibit the acceptance of coop academie education are being distinguished. To further the conceptualisation of the dual systern a competency approach of academie education may plav an important role. The advantage of competencies over traditional content descriptions is that such competencies can partly be developed and achieved outside the traditional university premises. in an authentic work environment. The competency-based curriculum of the master-programme on Human Resource Development at the University of Twente explores the possibilities that such a curriculum could have for the dual academie education systern.