Timeline
  • 2022Implementation
  • 2023Implementation
  • 2024Implementation
ID number
43518

Background

A brief overview of the context and rationale of the policy development, explaining why it is implemented or why it is important.

Over recent years, civic education has become more prominent in vocational education and training (VET) and the interest in citizenship education increased. In 2017, this led to the civic agenda, which has now been evaluated and concluded. However, it appears still difficult for VET schools to give civic education a full place in education. At the same time, despite positive developments, the quality of citizenship education is still too often below standards. That is why the education ministry has proposed a new action plan, consisting of a set of measures, to improve the quality of citizenship education and help give citizenship education a structural place in VET curricula.

Objectives

Goals and objectives of the policy development.

The goal of the action plan and the related set of measures is to improve the quality of citizenship education in VET.

Description

What/How/Who/For whom/When of the policy development in detail, explaining its activities and annual progress, main actors and target groups.

Citizenship education plays a vital role in preparing students for full participation and functioning in society. In the Netherlands, this means fostering a culture of mutual respect, upholding democratic principles and the rule of law, and recognising and respecting individual freedoms. It also means empowering people by strengthening their civic and social skills, and enabling them to develop critical thinking and functioning in society. This includes understanding one's rights and responsibilities and actively questioning them. This approach requires a critical attitude, reflection on how society is organised and on identity issues such as who you are in relation to the others. Citizenship education plays a key role in this and is important not only for the individual, but also for our society as a whole.

The Ministry proposed a set of different measures to improve the quality of citizenship education in VET in the coming years. Among the measures are stricter supervision by the Inspectorate of Education, recalibration of qualification requirements, an exploration of the introduction of an outcome-obligation or a broadening of the current effort-obligation, intensifying the efforts to professionalise teachers, developing tools to monitor the quality of citizenship education and a new collaboration with the minister of Primary and Secondary Education and stakeholders, called Expertisepunt MBO Burgerschap. The education...

Citizenship education plays a vital role in preparing students for full participation and functioning in society. In the Netherlands, this means fostering a culture of mutual respect, upholding democratic principles and the rule of law, and recognising and respecting individual freedoms. It also means empowering people by strengthening their civic and social skills, and enabling them to develop critical thinking and functioning in society. This includes understanding one's rights and responsibilities and actively questioning them. This approach requires a critical attitude, reflection on how society is organised and on identity issues such as who you are in relation to the others. Citizenship education plays a key role in this and is important not only for the individual, but also for our society as a whole.

The Ministry proposed a set of different measures to improve the quality of citizenship education in VET in the coming years. Among the measures are stricter supervision by the Inspectorate of Education, recalibration of qualification requirements, an exploration of the introduction of an outcome-obligation or a broadening of the current effort-obligation, intensifying the efforts to professionalise teachers, developing tools to monitor the quality of citizenship education and a new collaboration with the minister of Primary and Secondary Education and stakeholders, called Expertisepunt MBO Burgerschap. The education ministry is in the lead in implementing the measures, in cooperation with VET providers, stakeholders, teachers and students. To ensure a careful process, and taking the individual character of citizenship education in VET into account, the ministry decided on the involvement of an independent expert group, consisting of a diverse team of experts, and the stakeholders MBO Raad, NRTO, JOB, BVMBO, trade unions, teachers and students. The goal of the action plan is to support colleges in shaping their renewed task in citizenship education, in order to improve its quality in VET in the coming years.

2022
Implementation

The education ministry has proposed a set of measures to improve the quality of citizenship education in VET in the coming years.

  1. Reassessment of citizenship qualification requirements: offer clearer and more coherent content for qualification requirements, be precise about the minimum quality requirements, offer a better match between the learning objectives for citizenship education in lower and upper secondary education.
  2. Exploring the introduction of a result obligation or an extension of the best efforts obligation: offer an insight into results or introduction of a so called effort obligation (both aspects contributing to quality assurance of citizenship education), in order to secure more clarity regarding possibilities for improvement. In cooperation with VET providers, the education ministry will work out the best way to do this.
  3. Intensification of teacher professionalisation: good education requires competent teachers. Further professionalisation and a framework of what skills a good citizenship teacher should have, is necessary. New teachers are appointed on the basis of their competence profile, while existing teachers receive necessary training to improve their skills where needed.

The measures are not in effect yet.

2023
Implementation

Based on the advice of an expert group on citizenship education, the Minister of Education announced the initiation of the process to recalibrate the qualification requirements for citizenship education. Moreover, the Minister is taking steps to amend the Education and Vocational Education Act (Wet Educatie en Beroepsonderwijs, WEB) to explicitly outline the current effort-obligation for VET institutions regarding citizenship education.

The proposed amendments will require VET institutions to visibly address the new qualification requirements for citizenship education and monitor students' development in this area. To support the intensification of teacher professionalisation, the Minister has allocated an annual budget of EUR 30 million. Finally, the Minister has introduced a plan to monitor the citizenship skills of VET students.

2024
Implementation

The proposed amendments to the Education and Vocational Education Act (Wet Educatie en Beroepsonderwijs, (WEB) regarding the recalibrated qualification requirements have been postponed until 2026 to allow for the strengthening of the legal foundation first. Additionally, the Minister has announced the introduction of an institutional exam for citizenship education.

Following a study that highlighted the diverse educational backgrounds of citizenship teachers, the Minister has imposed additional qualification requirements for these teachers. To ensure all students have access to the necessary resources, the Minister has allocated an additional EUR 10 million to provide citizenship learning materials free of charge.

Bodies responsible

This section lists main bodies that are responsible for the implementation of the policy development or for its specific parts or activities, as indicated in the regulatory acts. The responsibilities are usually explained in its description.
  • Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
  • Inspectorate of Education

Target groups

Those who are positively and directly affected by the measures of the policy development; those on the list are specifically defined in the EU VET policy documents. A policy development can be addressed to one or several target groups.

Learners

  • Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices

Education professionals

  • Teachers

Entities providing VET

  • VET providers (all kinds)

Thematic categories

Thematic categories capture main aspects of the decision-making and operation of national VET and LLL systems. These broad areas represent key elements that all VET and LLL systems have to different extents and in different combinations, and which come into focus depending on the EU and national priorities. Thematic categories are further divided into thematic sub-categories. Based on their description, policy developments can be assigned to one or several thematic categories.

Modernising VET offer and delivery

This thematic category looks at what and how individuals learn, how learning content and learning outcomes in initial and continuing VET are defined, adapted and updated. First and foremost, it examines how VET standards, curricula, programmes and training courses are updated and modernised or new ones created. Updated and renewed VET content ensures that learners acquire a balanced mix of competences that address modern demands, and are more closely aligned with the realities of the labour market, including key competences, digital competences and skills for green transition and sustainability, both sector-specific and across sectors. Using learning outcomes as a basis is important to facilitate this modernisation, including modularisation of VET programmes. Updating and developing teaching and learning materials to support the above is also part of the category.

The thematic category continues to focus on strengthening high-quality and inclusive apprenticeships and work-based learning in real-life work environments and in line with the European framework for quality and effective apprenticeships. It looks at expanding apprenticeship to continuing vocational training and at developing VET programmes at EQF levels 5-8 for better permeability and lifelong learning and to support the need for higher vocational skills.

This thematic category also focuses on VET delivery through a mix of open, digital and participative learning environments, including workplaces conducive to learning, which are flexible, more adaptable to the ways individuals learn, and provide more access and outreach to various groups of learners, diversifying modes of learning and exploiting the potential of digital learning solutions and blended learning to complement face-to-face learning.

Centres of vocational excellence that connect VET to innovation and skill ecosystems and facilitate stronger cooperation with business and research also fall into this category.

Acquiring key competences

This thematic sub-category refers to acquisition of key competences and basic skills for all, from an early age and throughout their life, including those acquired as part of qualifications and curricula. Key competences include knowledge, skills and attitudes needed by all for personal fulfilment and development, employability and lifelong learning, social inclusion, active citizenship and sustainable awareness. Key competences include literacy; multilingual; science, technology, engineering and mathematical (STEM); digital; personal, social and learning to learn; active citizenship, entrepreneurship, cultural awareness and expression (Council of the European Union, 2018).

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.

Systematic approaches to and opportunities for initial and continuous professional development of school leaders, teachers and trainers

This thematic sub-category refers to all kinds of initial and continuing professional development (CPD) for VET educators who work in vocational schools and in companies providing VET. VET educators include teachers and school leaders, trainers and company managers involved in VET, as well as adult educators and guidance practitioners – those who work in school- and work-based settings. The thematic sub-category includes national strategies, training programmes or individual courses to address the learning needs of VET educators and to develop their vocational (technical) skills, and pedagogical (teaching) skills and competences. Such programmes concern state-of-the-art vocational pedagogy, innovative teaching methods, and competences needed to address evolving teaching environments, e.g. teaching in multicultural settings, working with learners at risk of early leaving, etc.

European priorities in VET

EU priorities in VET and LLL are set in the Council Recommendation for VET for sustainable competitiveness, social fairness and resilience, adopted on 24 November 2020 and in the Osnabrück Declaration on VET endorsed on 30 November 2020.

VET Recommendation

  • VET agile in adapting to labour market challenges

Osnabrück Declaration

  • Resilience and excellence through quality, inclusive and flexible VET

Subsystem

Part of the vocational education and training and lifelong learning systems the policy development applies to.
IVET

Further reading

Sources for further reading where readers can find more information on policy developments: links to official documents, dedicated websites, project pages. Some sources may only be available in national languages.

Country

Type of development

Policy developments are divided into three types: strategy/action plan; regulation/legislation; and practical measure/initiative.
Strategy/Action plan
Cite as

Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Citizenship education: 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/43518