Welcome in the training maze!

In 2002(!) the SER (a main Dutch government advisory body) called for action to promote ‘’lifelong learning’’. The Dutch politicians embraced the recommendations immediately. Fifteen years later the same SER noted little structural improvement. Lifelong learning is now called ‘’Lifelong development’’. Critics are speaking of ‘’a lifetime of chattering’’.

The need for retraining -or upskilling, reskilling, what is in a name– has remained. The OECD (and many others) expects that jobs will disappear, new ones will arise and many existing jobs will change. The COVID crisis is accelerating this trend, for example in the retail sector.  Web shops are flourishing with a growing demand for ICT and logistics workers and parcel deliverers. Fewer sales employees might be needed in shopping streets. The need for retraining has pivoted back to the top of the agenda.

There is no lack of training opportunities, nor a lack of funding. The Netherlands has a large range of training programmes and short courses. Private training suppliers control 85% of the training market. For a short training course or a partial certificate you usually go to a private training supplier. If you go for a recognized diploma you are more likely to go to a public educational institute. There are approximately 14.000 private training suppliers in the Netherlands. Most of them are self-employed or with a few employees. Then there are some larger training suppliers such as NCOI. The training offer is so large and diverse that it is unclear for individuals what to choose, or for guidance counsellors what to tell their clients. The many sectoral training funds, government budgets and subsidies do not help.

This past year the demand for retraining has accelerated. COVID has made it very clear that it is not so obvious to keep your job; and not only because of the COVID crisis as shown in a regional study: In one region 425.000 people need retraining to work in the education,  technology and care sectors; in another thousands of people will need retraining in the coming years because of the energy transition from gas to hydrogen.

Public and private training providers agree that they must work better together to cope with the retraining demand. Public providers can serve large groups while private trainers can offer more customised training.  

Better cooperation is important but more important is that individuals can find their way in the training maze. A solution is in the making. The government has allocated budget to develop a digital overview of available training, private and public. The portal will also show which funds, budgets and subsidies are available for retraining.

The portal should help individuals to find suitable additional training or retraining for work in another sector. It should also support guidance professionals and help their clients with retraining; and support company managers to help their employees.

The VET Council is optimistic about the future of retraining. Yes, the offer is still too opaque and too diffuse, but COVID has given an enormous impulse to make people more resilient against potential unemployment. It needs a crisis to force a breakthrough.

This month the Dutch newspaper NRC published a series of articles on the topic of Retraining. This blog is partly based on information from these articles.

This is my last blog for ETF Open Space. One and a half year ago I retired. Life moves on and new activities are keeping me busy. It is good to see that the ETF Open Space community is flourishing. I wish you all a happy and healthy 2021!