The most recent and ongoing changes in the Netherlands supporting lifelong learning and career development include activity in three areas covering guidance financing, system structuring, and professionalising the field through new training opportunities for practitioners.
Reported by CareersNet experts and contributing national stakeholders in Cedefop’s Lifelong guidance Inventory of systems and practices, some of the most recent and ongoing changes in the Netherlands supporting lifelong learning and career development include activity in three areas covering guidance financing, system structuring, and professionalising the field through new training opportunities for practitioners:
- Labour market policy:
- STAP and career guidance
- Reform of the labour market infrastructure and career guidance
- New investments in Expertise Point LOB, online portal Kies MBO and career guidance in VET
- New educational programme for job coaches and other career professionals ‘Coaching, talent and career’
The additional developments below also serve to update the information and progress in lifelong guidance policy as reported in the Inventory, to the extent possible.
Labour market policy concerning STAP subsidy and career guidance:
The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment announced the phasing out of the budget for the STAP subsidy in 2024 originally intended to provide financing support for training to improve one’s individual position in the labour market. The previously available and related ‘development advice’ provided by career guidance practitioners, has also ended.
Over the next four years, the remaining budget will be invested in labour-market relevant learning by adults aged between 18-67 years. Sectoral ‘development pathways’ will be designed within branches in the economy with labour market shortages (e.g., care and technology fields). Supported by new regulations, these pathways are designed in cooperation with the government to stimulate and increase the flow in and flow through of workers in sectors facing labour shortages.
Reform of the labour market infrastructure and career guidance
On 29th April 2024, the government of the Netherlands informed the Parliament about reforming the labour market infrastructure.
The currently fragmented cross-sectoral public and private cooperation in the field of guidance, will be strengthened by restructuring regional public employment and career guidance services. More focus will be placed on the needs of individuals (working or unemployed/in need of work). Services will be integrated in regional work centres (recognizable, uniform, customized to the needs within the region). In addition, public-private governance will be strengthened, and new additional structural and incidental funding is allocated, accordingly. Lifelong guidance will form part of the services in the region.
New investments in Expertise Point LOB, online portal Kies MBO and career guidance in VET
- Expertise Point LOB centre plays a crucial role in improving career guidance and orientation of pupils and students cross-sectorally, serving pre-vocational education (VMBO), general secondary education (HAVO-VWO) and upper secondary VET (MBO) and higher education. The centre supports schools, teachers, and other professionals with relevant career information with training, materials, and instruments. Funding for the centres from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science will now continue until 2027.
- VET Information portal Kies MBO will now continue until 2027.
- The Ministry has also allocated an additional 33 million per year until 2028 for improving guidance provisions in the VET sector, especially for a better alignment between education and the labour market.
New initial training of career guidance professionals
There are rather limited opportunities for initial education and training and professional development of career practitioners within the higher education sector in the Netherlands. Professional associations continue to play a significant role in this area, supporting career practitioners’ professionalism across the different sectors.
An initiative taken by Saxion University of Applied Sciences, is focusing on development of a new specialisation for job coaches and other career professionals, as part of a bachelor programme (‘Coaching, talent and career’). The faculties of Human Resource Management and Applied Psychology will work together, and the competency profile of the Dutch association of career professionals (NOLOC) will feature as one of the central reference points.