This chapter looks at the landscape of vocational education and training (VET) providers in the Netherlands. It describes the Dutch VET system and zooms in on the different types of institutions that provide VET programmes. The chapter looks at how providers differ in terms of focus areas of the provided training and target audience, as well as the role of private and public providers. Lastly, the chapter also discusses how different types of providers are co‑ordinated and how they collaborate.
The Landscape of Providers of Vocational Education and Training
OECD Reviews of Vocational Education and Training
5. The Netherlands’ landscape of vocational education and training providers
Abstract
The Dutch vocational education and training system
Vocational education and training (VET) in the Netherlands is delivered at lower-secondary, upper‑secondary and tertiary levels. When finishing primary education at age 12, half of students in the Netherlands continue into lower secondary pre-vocational programmes (50.4% in 2017-18). Lasting four years, lower secondary pre-vocational programmes combine theoretical education with vocational training and prepares students for upper secondary VET (middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, MBO). MBO last between one and four years and offer four levels of courses and qualifications (MBO Levels 1 to 4) (Education Inspectorate, 2021[1]). MBO offers two parallel learning pathways that lead to the same diploma: a predominantly school-based track and a work-based track. The school-based track consists of 20-60% of learning in the workplace, while this amounts to 60% or more in the work-based track (European Commission, 2021[2]).
Post-secondary non-tertiary education (International Standard Classification of Education, ISCED level 4) is designed as a continuation from upper secondary education. It includes MBO 4 specialist training (typically lasting one year) and 1-year higher professional courses (European Commission, 2021[3]).1 Its curriculum content is generally focused on entry to the labour market, but the programmes also provide a pathway into tertiary education.
VET programmes at ISCED level 5 offer two-year tertiary education leading to an associate degree. They are part of higher professional education (hoger beroepsonderwijs, HBO), which also includes professional bachelor programmes at ISCED level 6. Given that associate degree programmes largely coincide with the first half of professional bachelor programmes, their graduates have the opportunity to follow another two-year-long programme in order to receive a professional bachelor’s degree. A substantial share of MBO level 4 graduates enter a HBO programme: in the 2020-21, 44% started an HBO course.
The provider landscape
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science allocates public funding to upper‑secondary VET institutions, based on the number of students enrolled, certificates awarded, as well as educational preparation and support activities volume. The main publicly-funded MBO providers are the 42 regional training centres (ROCs) that cover VET courses for both initial students and adults. These ROCs were established by merging the roughly 500 VET providers that existed previously. In addition, there are 8 agricultural training centres (AOCs) and 11 specialist colleges for specific occupational fields, accounting each for around 5% of MBO students in 2021 (MBO Raad, 2022[4]). These VET colleges are regionally oriented. In addition, there are a number of private providers at the upper-secondary level which do not receive public funding. At the HBO level, university colleges provide associate degree programmes, as well as professional bachelor programmes.
VET institutions enjoy a relatively large degree of freedom when it comes to budget allocation, programming and planning. Moreover, they have full autonomy in the execution of the nationally determined programme goals. The Inspectorate of Education surveys whether VET institutions comply with national regulations and inspects teaching and exam quality.
Table 5.1. Overview of main VET providers in the Netherlands
Note: More details about the various providers are provided in the following sections. ISCED 3: upper secondary education; ISCED 4: post‑secondary non-tertiary education; ISCED 5: short-cycle tertiary education; ISCED 6: bachelor’s level or equivalent. MBO is ISCED level 3 (and some ISCED level 4); HBO is ISCED levels 5 and 6 (and some ISCED level 4).
Public vs. private providers
In 2020, the Netherlands counted 61 public upper-secondary VET providers: 42 regional education and training colleges (ROCs), 8 agricultural colleges (AOCs) and 11 specialist colleges, and two ‘other institutions’ (i.e. centres for persons with hearing loss and schools with a faith-based ethos). The number of these public providers has remained relatively stable in recent years. One of key features of Dutch VET providers is their large size (see Figure 5.1) – this has been the result of the 1996 VET Act under which VET providers were merged (Casey, 2013[5]). ROCs enrol on average about 12 000 students, but this can go up to 20 000 students. ROCs generally have multiple campuses in their region, with each campus focusing on a set of fields. The student-teacher ratio in VET is the 5th highest (18.4) among OECD countries after the United Kingdom, Finland, New Zealand and Chile (OECD, 2020[6]).
VET providers have a relatively high degree of freedom to shape VET provision as far as they meet qualification requirements. The VET law provides a broad framework outlining key elements at system level. Government funding is divided into funding for education and for design and development. Of the education component, 90% is divided among the institutions in proportion to the number of registered students and the number of degrees obtained, and approximately 10% is distributed on the basis of fixed amounts per institution.
Figure 5.1. Number of VET providers and student enrolment in the Netherlands
Note: Refers to schools and educational institutions financed by the government. Panel B shows the total number of students in the institutions covered in Panel A (e.g. 21 secondary VET institutions have more than 10 000 students, and these 21 institutions enrol in total around 335 000 students).
Source: CBS (2021[7]), Statline - School size by type of education and ideological basis, https://opendata.cbs.nl/statline/#/CBS/en/dataset/03753eng/table?ts=1639496589264.
Besides publicly funded MBO institutions, there are also non-subsidised private institutions that offer training and education at MBO level (niet-bekostigde instellingen, NBI). More than 100 of these NBIs are licensed to offer accredited MBO programmes. The size of these NBIs differs, from the smallest institutions offering only one degree programme to the largest institution offering 145 degree programmes. More than 40 000 students are following an accredited MBO course at an NBI. This is around 7% of the total number of MBO students. More than half of the MBO students at an NBI follow a course in the domain of care and welfare, for example as a doctor's assistant or pedagogical employee. In addition, many students follow training in the domain of safety and sports and in the domain of economics and administration (Cedefop, 2016[8]; European Commission, 2021[3]). NBIs can set their own student fees, which are in general higher than in public institutions. NBIs often provide more flexible programmes than public providers and have smaller class sizes.
For HBO, the universities of applied sciences (hogescholen) are publicly financed providers, which also charge student tuition fees. (Cedefop, 2016[9]). There are 36 government-funded universities of applied sciences (Dutch Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, 2021[10]). Non-subsidised, private providers can offer similar programmes if they have appropriate accreditation. Any private-sector institution established in the Netherlands can apply for accreditation (European Commission, 2018[11]). The certificates they award to graduates are legally recognised after being approved by the Education Inspectorate and the Netherlands-Flanders Accreditation Organisation (European Commission, 2018[11]).
Focus areas
ROCs are large institutions providing MBO programmes in four fields of study: economics, care and welfare, technology, and green/agriculture. In addition to these ROCs, MBO is also provided in Agricultural training centres (AOCs), which provide courses and degrees in food, nature and the environment. While AOCs cannot provide MBO programmes outside their narrowly defined field, ROCs can in principle provide programmes in that same field – although this only happens sporadically. There are also a few specialist colleges, which are occupation-specific colleges that provide education and training in a specific occupational field in a specific vocational sector (European Commission, 2021[2]). Figure 5.2 shows that health and welfare programmes enrol the largest number of MBO students, followed by economics and technology.
Figure 5.2. Participation in upper secondary VET (MBO), by area of study
Source: CBS (2022[12]), Statline - MBO students by level, pathway, field of study and migrant background, https://opendata.cbs.nl/#/CBS/nl/dataset/83850NED/table
At the HBO level, VET programmes cover seven different sectors: agriculture and food, education, science and technology, economy, healthcare, social studies and art. The largest sector in terms of student enrolment in HBO (at ISCED levels 5 and 6) is economics (37.8%), followed by the science and technology sector (20.8%) (HBO, 2020[13]). Some of the university colleges focus on one sector whereas others provide programmes in a range of sectors: 22 HBO institutions provide multi-sectoral courses and 14 provide courses in a single sector.
Target audience
Private and public MBO and HBO providers are in principle open to learners of all ages. MBO programmes are for those aged 16 or above, while HBO programmes are open to learners aged 17 and above. Admission to HBO requires an upper secondary general education or VET qualification (MBO 4) but the Quality Through Diversity Act gives higher VET providers the possibility to apply stricter admission criteria for MBO 4 students for specific programmes (Cedefop, 2016[9]).
Regional, multi-sectoral VET colleges (ROC) offer a complete range of VET courses for initial students and adults, both full-time and part-time. Some ROCs provide basic skills education and training2 and general secondary education for adults.3 Non-government funded private institutions that offer MBO (NBI) have an older student population than publicly-funded institutions: more than half of the MBO students are older than 30 years in NBI, while in government-funded education only 7% are older than 30.
Co‑ordinating between provider types
Both upper secondary and tertiary VET are governed by the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. The Ministry is in charge of strategic planning and development, ensuring quality, and funding public institutions. The Inspectorate of Education surveys whether VET institutions comply with national regulations and inspects teaching and exam quality. Social partners are also an important actor in VET. The Foundation for Cooperation on Vocational Education, Training and the Labour Market (Samenwerkingsorganisatie Beroepsonderwijs Bedrijfsleven SBB) represents all employers, employees and training providers. It is tasked with developing a qualification structure for secondary VET, finding new placement providers (where students get practical training in a trade or profession) and accrediting them, and monitoring the quality of the placement providers (European Commission, 2021[2]; Education Inspectorate, 2021[1]).
Publicly-funded VET colleges at the upper secondary level (ROCs) are represented by the MBO Council (MBO Raad), while the Dutch Council for Training and Education (Nederlandse Raad voor Training en Opleiding, NRTO) represents private institutions that provide MBO. For HBO, the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (Vereniging Hogescholen) represents the 36 government-funded HBO providers. The association promotes the collective interests of the higher professional education sector, supports common activities of the colleges and acts as an employers’ organisation on behalf of its members. It negotiates labour conditions for the sector with the trade unions and signs collective labour agreements.
To facilitate coordination and knowledge sharing and to bring together all information relevant to the entire network of MBO providers, various MBO Knowledge Hubs have been set up. Through these hubs, MBO providers can find information about laws and regulations and can share practical solutions with each other. The hubs provide documentation and publications, organise information sessions, share newsletters, and have an online discussion board. Hubs have been created on the topics of teaching and examination; lifelong learning; language and mathematics; equal opportunities; education fit for all; citizenship education.
Collaboration between public and private MBO providers has been encouraged and supported in the area of lifelong learning. Since 2019, public and private providers can request subsidies to develop flexible programmes in partnership. The subsidy can be used for the development of flexible programmes for workers and jobseekers, for awareness-raising among the target group, for the professional development of teachers and trainers and for knowledge sharing in this area. Since the start of the programme, 26 partnerships have received a subsidy and started collaboration on flexible lifelong learning.
References
[5] Casey, P. (2013), The VET system in the Netherlands, UKCES, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/303481/briefing-paper-vocational-education-system-netherlands.pdf.
[12] CBS (2022), Mbo; studenten, niveau, leerweg, studierichting, migratieachtergrond, https://opendata.cbs.nl/#/CBS/nl/dataset/83850NED/table.
[7] CBS (2021), Statline - School size by type of education and ideological basis, http://opendata.cbs.nl/statline/#/CBS/en/dataset/03753eng/table?ts=1639496589264.
[8] Cedefop (2016), Spotlight on VET in the Netherlands, https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/files/8090_en.pdf.
[9] Cedefop (2016), Vocational education and training in the Netherlands: short description, Publications Office, Luxembourg, https://doi.org/10.2801/476727.
[10] Dutch Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (2021), Vereniging Hogescholen website, https://www.vereniginghogescholen.nl/hogescholen.
[1] Education Inspectorate (2021), The state of secondary vocational education 2021, https://www.onderwijsinspectie.nl/onderwerpen/staat-van-het-onderwijs/documenten/rapporten/2021/04/14/deelrapport-svho-2021-mbo.
[2] European Commission (2021), Organisation of vocational upper secondary education (MBO) in the Netherlands, https://eurydice.eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-education-systems/netherlands/organisation-vocational-upper-secondary-education-mbo.
[3] European Commission (2021), Post-secondary non-tertiary education in the Netherlands, https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/post-secondary-non-tertiary-education-15_en.
[11] European Commission (2018), Types of Higher Education Institutions, https://eacea.ec.europa.eu/national-policies/eurydice/content/types-higher-education-institutions-53_en.
[13] HBO (2020), KERNCIJFERS HBO 2020, http://www.vereniginghogescholen.nl.
[4] MBO Raad (2022), Studenten in het mbo, https://www.mboraad.nl/het-mbo/feiten-en-cijfers/studenten-het-mbo.
[6] OECD (2020), Education at a Glance 2020: OECD Indicators, OECD Publishing, Paris, https://doi.org/10.1787/69096873-en.
Notes
← 1. The specialist training programmes fall under MBO and the 1-year higher professional programmes under HBO. Therefore, the remainder of this chapter covers these programmes under MBO and HBO without making a distinction between these ISCED level 4 programmes and the other programmes covered by MBO and HBO.
← 2. This mostly covers training for adults with a migrant background, including language training and preparation for the “integration exam”. This type of training can be delivered by a broad range of providers, including ROCs and private providers.
← 3. General upper-secondary education for adults (VAVO, which also includes lower-secondary VET for adults) is delivered by public and private MBO providers.