- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
International studies, like the PISA study from 2022, reveal a sharp decline in youngsters' basic skills, particularly in Dutch language and arithmetic/mathematics. External factors such as outdated curricula, teacher shortages, societal changes, and reduced library access exacerbate the problem. Basic skills are essential for full participation in society. The Masterplan basic skills (2022) is a comprehensive policy programme designed to address this issue across all school levels, including vocational education and training.
Objectives
The objectives of the Masterplan basic skills, as described in the relevant 2022 policy letter from the Minister of education to the Parliament, are:
- to improve proficiency in basic skills (Dutch, maths, citizenship, digital literacy) across all education levels, including primary, secondary, and vocational education.
- to develop a holistic, collaborative approach involving teachers, school leaders, parents, libraries, and policymakers.
Description
The Masterplan basic skills from 2022 focuses on enhancing education through five key pillars:
- supporting educators with resources and training,
- providing evidence-based learning materials,
- strengthening school-community links,
- implementing monitoring systems,
- and establishing clear curriculum guidelines.
Immediate actions include creating support teams for schools and launching subsidies for targeted interventions. The plan aims for long-term integration with national programmes like the NPO and regular curriculum reviews. With a EUR 1 billion commitment, the Dutch government emphasises reducing administrative burdens, improving teacher training, and fostering collaboration to achieve equitable and improved educational outcomes.
As part of the broader plan to support VET students in acquiring basic skills, a decree published on 9 February 2022, introduced significant changes to VET in the Netherlands, focusing on revised arithmetic requirements, assessment modifications, and integration into graduation criteria. New VET arithmetic levels (mbo-rekenniveaus) outline specific arithmetic competencies, while entry-level students are now being assessed on a pass/fail basis rather than numerical grades. Since 1 August 2022, achieving a pass in arithmetic became mandatory for VET graduation, ensuring students are equipped with essential quantitative skills for the labour market.
In 2023, the Minister for Education sent to the...
The Masterplan basic skills from 2022 focuses on enhancing education through five key pillars:
- supporting educators with resources and training,
- providing evidence-based learning materials,
- strengthening school-community links,
- implementing monitoring systems,
- and establishing clear curriculum guidelines.
Immediate actions include creating support teams for schools and launching subsidies for targeted interventions. The plan aims for long-term integration with national programmes like the NPO and regular curriculum reviews. With a EUR 1 billion commitment, the Dutch government emphasises reducing administrative burdens, improving teacher training, and fostering collaboration to achieve equitable and improved educational outcomes.
As part of the broader plan to support VET students in acquiring basic skills, a decree published on 9 February 2022, introduced significant changes to VET in the Netherlands, focusing on revised arithmetic requirements, assessment modifications, and integration into graduation criteria. New VET arithmetic levels (mbo-rekenniveaus) outline specific arithmetic competencies, while entry-level students are now being assessed on a pass/fail basis rather than numerical grades. Since 1 August 2022, achieving a pass in arithmetic became mandatory for VET graduation, ensuring students are equipped with essential quantitative skills for the labour market.
In 2023, the Minister for Education sent to the parliament the report 'Professional background of MBO teachers basic skills and citizenship' from the Expertise Centre for Vocational Education (ECBO) to discuss his approach to further strengthening basic skills in secondary vocational education (MBO).
The Policy Letter Approach to Basic Skills in Vocational Education and Training (VET) from 2023 presents a strategic framework, outlining the Dutch government's strategy for addressing declining proficiency in basic skills (Dutch language, mathematics, citizenship, and digital literacy) among vocational education and training (VET) students. The programme is designed to strengthen education quality, improve teacher support, and monitor student outcomes, as described in the relevant policy letter of the Minister of Education to the Parliament from July 2023. It consists of three main action points:
Strengthening the quality of skills education and examination
The first action includes revisions to the national curriculum for Dutch language, mathematics, and citizenship to ensure alignment with vocational needs and societal challenges. Examination standards are being improved to better assess core competencies, while pilot projects explore innovative approaches, such as project-based learning, to integrate basic skills into vocational contexts.
Strengthening the quality of VET teachers of basic skills
The second action focuses on mandatory professional development for MBO teachers to enhance their ability to teach basic skills effectively. This action also includes a €30 million annual investment to support teacher training, the provision of resources, and the establishment of a national network to improve teaching methods in language, mathematics, and citizenship.
Monitoring the ability level of basic skills of VET students
The third action point involves establishing a comprehensive monitoring system to track student progress in basic skills, generating valuable data for targeted interventions. Collaboration with the Education Inspectorate ensures the creation of standardized assessment frameworks, and regular evaluations are incorporated to maintain the effectiveness and relevance of policies.
The strategic framework sets out that immediate reforms will introduce new curriculum standards and examination requirements starting in the 2024-2025 academic year. It aims for all MBO students to graduate with at least a 2F proficiency level in Dutch and mathematics, alongside strong citizenship and digital literacy skills. This approach will enable students to participate fully in society and adapt to labour market demands. The comprehensive framework seeks to reverse the decline in basic skills and enhance the quality of vocational education. By 2026, the monitoring system will deliver its first results, with a mid-term evaluation assessing progress and recommending adjustments.
The policy letter proposes an annual allocation of EUR 30 million for teacher professionalization, additional funding for research and curriculum development, and collaboration between MBO institutions, policymakers, and researchers to ensure evidence-based practices.
Further initiatives in this direction include the establishment of an expert group by the Minister of Education in 2023 to recalibrate qualification requirements and review Dutch as a core skill in VET, building on the updated arithmetic requirements introduced in 2022.
Another initiative supporting the advancement of basic skills for VET students is the establishment of the Learning Network Arithmetic in VET (Lerend Netwerk Rekenen in MBO) in 2023. Scheduled to run until the end of 2025, this project involves 32 educational teams across four regions collaborating to develop arithmetic education tailored to their specific needs. The teams receive guidance from experts, including those from Utrecht University. The initiative aims to enhance the quality of arithmetic education in vocational education and training (VET) institutions. The minister organised field sessions to identify key competences required of VET teachers of basic skills to improve teacher quality. The minister also announced to allocate a yearly sum of EUR 30 million to improve professionalisation of basic skills teachers in VET.
The progress of VET students' basic skills is set to be monitored through the procedures outlined in the Monitoring plan of the VET Working Agenda 2023-2027 and the Internship Pact 2023-27 (Stagepact 2023-2027). Specifically, the Monitoring plan includes assessing VET students' proficiency in Dutch and arithmetic by tracking the percentage of graduates who meet the required reference levels. The monitor will be carried out by the Inspectorate of Education. In addition, the plan incorporates monitoring students' feedback on the education they receive in these subjects, as well as employers' evaluations of their vocationally trained employees' proficiency in Dutch and arithmetic.
In response to a study highlighting the diverse educational backgrounds of basic skills teachers, the Dutch Minister of Education has proposed imposing additional qualification requirements. This initiative mandates that teachers with backgrounds in subjects other than Dutch language and arithmetic undergo supplementary training to ensure proficiency in these essential areas. The minister is currently preparing legislation to formalise these requirements.
To support students in acquiring fundamental skills, the minister has allocated an additional EUR 10 million to provide free learning materials for Dutch language and arithmetic courses. This investment aims to enhance accessibility and improve educational outcomes in these critical subjects.
Bodies responsible
- Ministry of Education, Culture and Science
- Council for upper secondary VET schools (MBO Raad)
- Inspectorate of Education
Target groups
Learners
- Learners in upper secondary, including apprentices
Education professionals
- Teachers
Entities providing VET
- VET providers (all kinds)
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.
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.
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
VET Recommendation
- VET agile in adapting to labour market challenges
Osnabrück Declaration
- Establishing a new lifelong learning culture - relevance of continuing VET and digitalisation
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Basic skills of VET students: 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/46813