- 2022Pilot
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
The labour market and society are in great need of graduates with new skills, including digital skills. The opportunities offered by digitalisation are currently not being used enough to increase the quality of education, which is still insufficiently integrating digital skills into curricula. As a result, the Netherlands is in danger of falling behind other countries. There is also increasing inequality of opportunities, as not everyone manages independently to teach themselves digital skills. The programme contributes to higher labour productivity for future employees.
Objectives
The goal of the programme Npuls is to improve VET and higher education and the agility of education, and make better use of the opportunities of digitalisation. This should lead to several outcomes.
- Easier access for learners (aged 16-99) to education that meets their personal needs, knowledge, and skills, both within and outside their educational institution.
- Increased opportunities for lecturers to innovate in their teaching.
- More efficient and effective response by education institutions to changes in the labour market.
- Organisation of education in a way that supports teachers and does not create barriers.
- Better access to digital learning materials for teachers and learners.
- Learners having excellent digital skills and being well-prepared for the labour market.
- Better alignment of tutoring with the needs of learners through the use of learning analytics data.
Description
This development consists of an eight-year programme in which all 113 education institutions in upper secondary vocational education (MBO, HBO and WO) and higher education (post-secondary and higher education) cooperate. They are joining forces to enable system transformation in education. The programme is led by the education ministry and is funded by the National Growth Fund. It has a budget of EUR 560 million. In the programme four action areas are created.
Transformation hubs
A transformation hub is a community of educators, learners, researchers, employees, employers, and suppliers of digital learning material engaged in one of the programme's themes. Together they solve complex issues in education practice. The programme starts with hubs on the themes Agile and efficiently organised education, and Digital learning materials. Hubs on other themes will be set up later. Together they solve complex issues in educational practice.
Sectoral ICT infrastructure
The sectoral ICT infrastructure serves as a road network for all ICT facilities that learners and teachers need. The infrastructure enables cooperation between all partners within the programme and beyond.
Shared knowledge infrastructure
A shared knowledge infrastructure is a way of sharing existing and new knowledge about educational innovation so that teachers really benefit from it.
Centres for teaching and learning
All education institutions are setting up a centre for...
This development consists of an eight-year programme in which all 113 education institutions in upper secondary vocational education (MBO, HBO and WO) and higher education (post-secondary and higher education) cooperate. They are joining forces to enable system transformation in education. The programme is led by the education ministry and is funded by the National Growth Fund. It has a budget of EUR 560 million. In the programme four action areas are created.
Transformation hubs
A transformation hub is a community of educators, learners, researchers, employees, employers, and suppliers of digital learning material engaged in one of the programme's themes. Together they solve complex issues in education practice. The programme starts with hubs on the themes Agile and efficiently organised education, and Digital learning materials. Hubs on other themes will be set up later. Together they solve complex issues in educational practice.
Sectoral ICT infrastructure
The sectoral ICT infrastructure serves as a road network for all ICT facilities that learners and teachers need. The infrastructure enables cooperation between all partners within the programme and beyond.
Shared knowledge infrastructure
A shared knowledge infrastructure is a way of sharing existing and new knowledge about educational innovation so that teachers really benefit from it.
Centres for teaching and learning
All education institutions are setting up a centre for teaching and learning. There, lecturers and education teams can get advice and training on how to innovate their education. Because every education institution is different, every centre for teaching and learning has a different structure. The centres are in contact with each other.
In 2022, funding was made available. In Phase 1, EUR 150 million was allocated for the first two years of the programme. The rest of the amount will be allocated later in Phase 2.
The preparation phase of the programme Npuls was planned for June 2022 to January 2023. The official start has been postponed from February 2023 to May 2023.
The Npuls programme has officially started, introducing several hubs, including ICT Infrastructure, Study Data and AI (Artificial Intelligence), XR (Extended Reality), Teacher Support, EdTech, and Digital Learning Materials. The first round of applications for the grant scheme to establish a Centre for Teaching and Learning was also launched.
In addition, the Digital proficiency in VET, programme (Digitaal Bekwaam mbo) was initiated. This five-year programme aims to professionalise teachers' ICT skills in vocational education and training (VET), with an annual budget of EUR 0.9 million. In 2023, four VET institutions were awarded grants to establish research workshops focused on enhancing teachers' ICT skills.
Within Npulse, a new hub started: Agile education. 14 VET institutions and higher education institutions received a grant to start a ,Centre for Teaching and Learning, and a new round for grant application is opened.
To address the rapid advancements in AI, the ,Expedition AI, initiative was launched. The project focuses on developing a comprehensive vision for the role of AI in higher education and VET. A national platform on AI in education was also established to facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration.
A needs analysis conducted as part of the ,Digital Proficiency in VET, programme revealed that while teachers recognise a strong need for further professionalisation in digital skills, they do not believe a new master's programme on digitalisation would meet their needs. Efforts to identify suitable alternatives for teacher professionalisation are ongoing.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
- Foundation for Education and ICT (Stichting Kennisnet)
- Cooperation organisation of VET colleges on ICT (MBO digitaal)
- Council for upper secondary VET schools (MBO Raad)
- Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (Vereniging Hogescholen)
- Universities of the Netherlands (Universiteiten van Nederland)
- Cooperative association of Dutch educational and research institutions on IT (SURF)
- Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO)
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
- Adult learners
Education professionals
- Teachers
Thematic categories
Modernising VET infrastructure
This thematic category looks at how VET schools and companies providing VET are supported to update and upgrade their physical infrastructure for teaching and learning, including digital and green technologies, so that learners in all VET programmes and specialities have access to state-of-the-art equipment and are able to acquire relevant and up-to-date vocational and technical skills and competences. Modernising infrastructure in remote and rural areas increases the inclusiveness of VET and LLL.
This thematic sub-category focuses on establishing and upgrading to state-of-the-art digital infrastructure, equipment and technology, such as computers, hardware, connectivity and good broadband speed that should ensure quality and inclusive VET provision, especially in blended and virtual modes. It also includes specific measures to remove the digital divide, e.g. supporting geographically remote or rural areas to ensure social inclusion through access to such infrastructure for learning and teaching. It also includes support measures for learners from socially disadvantaged backgrounds to acquire the necessary equipment.
Teachers, trainers and school leaders competences
Competent and motivated VET teachers in schools and trainers in companies are crucial to VET becoming innovative and relevant, agile, resilient, flexible, inclusive and lifelong.
This thematic category comprises policies and practices of initial training and continuing professional development approaches in a systemic and systematic manner. It also looks at measures aiming to update (entry) requirements and make teaching and training careers attractive and bring more young and talented individuals and business professionals into teaching and training. Supporting VET educators by equipping them with adequate competences, skills and tools for the green transition and digital teaching and learning are addressed in separate thematic sub-categories.
The measures in this category target teachers and school leaders, company trainers and mentors, adult educators and guidance practitioners.
This thematic sub-category is in line with the EU policy focus on the digital transition, and refers to professional development and other measures to prepare and support teachers and trainers in teaching their learners digital skills and competences. It also covers measures and support for them to increase their own digital skills and competences, including for teaching in virtual environments, working with digital tools and applying digital pedagogies. Emergency measures taken during the COVID-19 pandemic also fall into this sub-category.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET as a driver for innovation and growth preparing for digital and green transitions and occupations in high demand
- VET as an attractive choice based on modern and digitalised provision of training and skills
Osnabrück Declaration
- Establishing a new lifelong learning culture - relevance of continuing VET and digitalisation
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Npuls: programme to improve VET and HE by using the opportunities of digitalisation: Netherlands. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/43163