Greening apprenticeships: the Netherlands

This article is part of a series developed by Cedefop community of apprenticeship experts. It was drafted by Rob van Wezel, Community expert for the Netherlands, and revised by Cedefop staff. 

In the Netherlands, the Foundation for Cooperation on Vocational Education, Training and the Labour Market (SBB) has assumed an active role in supporting the adaptation of apprenticeships in the context of the green transition. The SBB provides a platform to education institutions and the businesses community to connect, and offer advice in relation to labour market needs, qualifications and vocational training, including apprenticeships. 

The SBB’s 2022 report on ‘Climate-related jobs in a built-up environment’ (in cooperation with the Employee Insurance Agency – UWV and the Social Economic Council) initially provided an overview of the jobs needed in the sector of ‘Technology and built environment’, for the sector to meet the objectives set by the government in relation to climate, energy and housing. These objectives require sustainable housing, offices and other built environment, which in turn requires skilled workers. The report estimates that in the third quarter of 2021, there were almost 46 000 job vacancies in the sector, mostly for those preparing work and making calculations for building and installation techniques (4 700), plumbers and fitters (4 600), carpenters (4 400) and electricians and fitters of electrical installations (4 400). These vacancies present an opportunity for secondary vocational graduates, including those following the apprenticeship track, either young or adult newcomers (and a challenge for society to fulfil these vacancies).  

Following the report, the SBB’s sectoral committee for Technology and built environment (TGO – Techniek en gebouwde omgeving) addressed the issue of providing education and training that will help secure sufficient qualified professionals to meet the needs of energy transition, circularity and climate adaptation (14% of all VET students follow the TGO sector, half of whom via the apprenticeship track – 36 000 apprentices). 

Its advisory report provides an account of multiple trends and innovations in relation to energy transition, circularity and climate adaptation (e.g., conversion of electricity into hydrogen, domotica sensoring, augmented reality or the production of grey and green hydrogen, insulation and ventilation, changes in the energy transition to a new infrastructure, increasing use of alternative raw materials, climate-neutral building, optimisation of product life span through circularity, re-use of raw materials). These require several types of skill: both generic skills that can be used more widely, and skills that are linked to a speciality or a specific context. The TGO committee identified three categories of requirement for professionals: awareness of the importance of transitions, awareness of the greater importance of generic competences (e.g. collaboration with other disciplines), and new, specific knowledge and skills for changing TGO methods, techniques and requirements.  

The committee then analysed developments in companies and professions involving mid-level technical skills, to identify the needs for adaptation of existing qualifications or addition of new qualifications or programmes (e.g. climate training programmes). Its report shows that many of the qualification files already have elements related to circularity, energy transition, sustainability and climate adaptation. Such elements are often found in the components of professional characterisation, context, professional knowledge and skills associated with a key task and/or the conduct during a work process. The qualification files have broad outlines that allow the possibility of adding aspects of energy transition, circularity and climate adaptation, while schools have room to interpret and adapt these files.   

Numerous secondary vocational education (MBO) certificates are offered in relation to climate, energy and housing, and are accessible through the school-based track or apprenticeships (EQF levels 2, 3, 4). Following the publication of the report, apprenticeship courses are offered for solar panel installation in cooperation with the Wij-Techniek sectoral organisation. A similar initiative exists for installation of charging stations, and another apprenticeship course is being designed on reducing the use of gas (in installation of heat pumps, solar panels, etc).  

The current qualifications update (mandatory every 5 years maximum) calls for consideration of sustainability and circularity. Current experience shows that as workplace learning varies across companies, it seems more difficult to introduce new elements horizontally across all apprenticeship qualifications, and easier to use the optional subjects and short apprenticeship courses (certificates) instead. The report calls (SBB to work) for further inclusion of generic, cross-sectoral skills as part of all qualification files within engineering and the built-up environment, the inclusion of developments in the field of energy transition, circularity and climate adaptation in the update of qualification files, and the identification of electives which have become more standard and can be integrated in a qualification file.    

Supplements to qualification files, optional subjects or certificates can be added for specific topics, such as smart maintenance, electrification (or generic skills such as communication and collaboration). Indeed, a wide range of optional subjects is on offer, deepening or broadening the training programmes. Education institutions and businesses can apply for certificates of new optional subjects once their LM relevance becomes clear. In addition, components of the qualifications framework are made more suitable as flexible, modular education/training programmes for adults. There are upskilling/reskilling opportunities for employed adults or jobseekers aiming to improve the employability of target groups, including through apprenticeships or through certification projects. Such accelerated projects allow adults to learn and get certified in specific components of a programme while working, i.e. while addressing current labour force needs of the sector without having to complete the full programme. 

The developments around energy transition, circularity and climate adaptation are not limited to the TGO sector. The report advises other SBB sectoral committees to explore the developments in company activities and MBO offers (current or new) in relation to energy transition, circularity and climate adaptation, to consider the interconnections between sectors, explore the relevant policy measures, examine innovations and the experiences of businesses, education and government (e.g. in the districts which no longer use gas), analyse what these developments mean to the demand for qualifications, explore if VET already responds to such developments by using qualification files, optional subjects or MBO certificates, and provide recommendations on how these can be used and how education institutions and businesses are able to offer suitable and flexible study programmes. Follow-up discussions have started and will expand in all nine SBB sectoral committees. 

Beyond changes in qualifications, the report stresses that attracting more learners in VET programmes, including apprenticeships, is crucial, given the labour market shortages in the related occupations. The qualifications framework is not only aimed at young students in regular education but also at lifelong learning and attracting students from abroad (newcomers).   

The report offers advice to various stakeholders and other SBB sectoral committees. It invites training centres, where possible and appropriate, to integrate themes that are related to energy transition, circularity and climate adaptation, make use of the room for interpretation in qualification files, and, within these frameworks, make (regional) agreements to involve innovations in training and apprenticeships.  It proposes that businesses use the expertise and the strength of training centres for upskilling and reskilling. It calls upon education and the business world to invest jointly in developing new certificates/minors that students can use to deepen their knowledge, investigate together what the needs are, communicate training opportunities in the context of the energy transition, which is appealing to young people, and identify developments that are relevant to professional practice.