Action plan on knowledge infrastructure for education

Policy development
Strategy/Action plan
Netherlands
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Timeline
  • 2019Design
  • 2020Design
  • 2021Design
  • 2022Implementation
  • 2023Implementation
  • 2024Implementation
ID number
36244

Background

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

To improve the quality of education, the councils of the five education sectors aim to link the worlds of research and education in ever-closer cooperation. Improving the quality of, and equal opportunities in, education requires structural attention. Better use of knowledge can contribute significantly to further develop effective education for all.

Objectives

Goals and objectives of the policy development.

The objectives of this action plan are:

  1. the reduction of fragmentation in the field of research;
  2. the alignment of research with development needs at school level;
  3. making scientific knowledge retrievable and accessible to users in schools;
  4. the improvement of education professional's ability to assess education decisions on the basis of scientific insights;
  5. providing more time and money for research and development (R&D) in education.

Description

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

In 2019, five associations representing all education sectors launched an action plan to strengthen the knowledge infrastructure in education. A working group will set up an agenda for the near future and will give substance to the aim of strengthening the knowledge infrastructure with the involvement of various parties, such as education researchers, experts and teachers. The working group will advise the sector councils and the education ministry on how to proceed.

2019
Design

This is an initiative by five sectors from all education levels (primary, secondary, upper secondary VET, higher professional education and universities).

An advisory report from the five education councils proposes strengthening the knowledge infrastructure by means of so-called smart connections, and then establishing them between existing research initiatives, structures, networks and digital facilities. Education councils, together with the education ministry and the Netherlands initiative for education research (NRO) will continue to explore the possibilities for regional and national R&D agendas. In addition, they are putting energy into involving and connecting existing research activities and networks.

2020
Design

In 2020, the education ministry asked for an exploratory study. The study 'For the sake of good education' (omwille van goed onderwijs) includes several scenarios on how to improve the knowledge infrastructure. The ministry prefers a combination of regional knowledge hubs and a national knowledge centre. In the regional knowledge hubs joint research, demand-driven knowledge development and knowledge dissemination will take place. In the national knowledge centre scientific knowledge (across the sectors) is collected and organised in such a way that it is useful for teachers (teams), schools and institutions. Such a knowledge infrastructure requires an annual investment of EUR 70 to 85 million. A decision has been postponed to the next government because the term of the current one was coming to its end.

2021
Design

In 2021, a motion was adopted to establish a research network of educational institutions, professionals, and scientists to provide knowledge and good practices and actively to apply and share knowledge.

2022
Implementation

In 2021-22, an exploration of aspirations for the Knowledge Sharing Programme was conducted through conversations with and a survey of education professionals and partner organisations in VET. The programme was launched in October 2022. The goal of the programme is that VET professionals enforce the quality of VET by using research-based knowledge (evidence-informed working). The programme has four main lines.

  1. Making educational research accessible, findable and usable via a relevant online knowledge hub 'Onderwijskennis.nl'.
  2. Developing guiding papers as practical recommendations for connecting research and educational practice.
  3. Knowledge sharing through national thematic meetings to promote evidence-informed practices in education.
  4. Embedding research-based knowledge and its translation on the relevant online knowledge hub, in guiding papers and meetings about the VET knowledge infrastructure.

Each year, the programme's activities focus around a number of themes relevant to VET.

2023
Implementation

In 2023, the Knowledge Sharing Programme focuses on the following four themes:

  1. The school as a learning and professional organisation, with an emphasis to evidence-informed education;
  2. Hybrid learning environments, where workplace learning and school-based learning are integrated;
  3. Quality of education, specifically focused on the learning process or the interaction between students and teachers;
  4. Didactics of vocational education, with a specific focus on general education subjects.

In addition, VET teachers are now eligible to apply for Comenius Teaching Fellow grants, enabling them to put their ideas for educational innovation into practice. Previously, these grants were exclusively available to teachers in higher education.

2024
Implementation

VET plays a crucial role in tackling the social challenges facing the Netherlands. In the working agenda on VET 2023-2027 'Working together on talent', the education ministry and partners have set the ambition to participate as a fully-fledged and equal partner in research and knowledge networks and knowledge infrastructure.

By putting this goal into practice, the Council for upper secondary VET schools in the Netherlands (MBO Raad), has joined the Knowledge Coalition (Kenniscoalitie), a national partnership comprising knowledge institutions, research funding bodies, and entrepreneurial advocacy organisations. This collaboration aims to stimulate research and innovation, fostering a robust and resilient knowledge-based society. The inclusion of the Council for upper secondary VET schools reflects the increasing role of VET in the Netherlands' knowledge infrastructure.

Regarding the inclusion of VET teachers in the application process for Comenius Teaching Fellow grants starting in 2023, a total of 28 VET teachers were awarded Comenius Teaching Fellow grants in 2024, amounting to EUR 1 400 000 in total to support their one-year projects.

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.
  • Council for upper secondary VET schools (MBO Raad)
  • Council for Primary Education (PO-Raad)
  • Council for Secondary Education (VO-raad)
  • Association of Universities of Applied Sciences (Vereniging Hogescholen)
  • Association of Universities (VSNU) (until 2022)
  • Universities of the Netherlands (Universiteiten van Nederland)
  • Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
  • Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO)

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.

Education professionals

  • School leaders

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.

Governance of VET and lifelong learning

This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.

This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.

The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.

Engaging VET stakeholders and strengthening partnerships in VET

This thematic sub-category refers both to formal mechanisms of stakeholder engagement in VET governance and to informal cooperation among stakeholders, which motivate shared responsibility for quality VET. Formal engagement is usually based on legally established institutional procedures that clearly define the role and responsibilities for relevant stakeholders in designing, implementing and improving VET. It also refers to establishing and increasing the degree of autonomy of VET providers for agile and flexible VET provision.

In terms of informal cooperation, the sub-category covers targeted actions by different stakeholders to promote or implement VET. This cooperation often leads to creating sustainable partnerships and making commitments for targeted actions, in line with the national context and regulation, e.g. national alliances for apprenticeships, pacts for youth or partnerships between schools and employers. It can also include initiatives and projects run by the social partners or sectoral organisations or networks of voluntary experts and executives, retired or on sabbatical, to support their peers in the fields of VET and apprenticeships, as part of the EAfA.

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.

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

Country

Netherlands

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). Action plan on knowledge infrastructure for 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/36244