VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING FOR THE FUTURE OF WORK

CEDEFOP REFERNET THEMATIC PERSPECTIVES

NETHERLANDS

Vocational education and training for the future of work: Netherlands

Policy strategies and initiatives to prepare vocational education and training (VET) systems for digitalisation and future of work

technologies

Please cite this publication as: Westerhuis, A.F. (2020). Vocational education and training for the future of work: Netherlands. Cedefop ReferNet thematic perspectives series. http://libserver.cedefop.europa.eu/vetelib/2020/vocational_education_training_future_work_Netherlands_Cedefop_ReferNet.pdf

Author: Anneke Westerhuis

Contributors: Hester Smulders and Annemiek Cox

Reviewed by Cedefop

© Copyright: ecbo (Cedefop ReferNet Netherlands), 2020

Reproduction is authorised, provided the source is acknowledged. The thematic perspectives series complements the general information on vocational education and training (VET) systems provided in ‘VET in Europe database’. The themes presented in the series feature high on the European agenda. Thematic perspectives provide national overviews of specific themes in a common format and offer comparative dimension across the EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom. They are available at: http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/networks/refernet/thematic-perspectives This thematic perspective was prepared based on data/information from 2018/2019. The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of Cedefop. Thematic perspectives are co-financed by the European Union and ReferNet national partners. ReferNet is a network of institutions across Europe representing the 27 Member States, plus Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom. The network provides Cedefop with information and analysis on national vocational education and training (VET). ReferNet also disseminates information on European VET and Cedefop’s work to stakeholders in the EU Member States, Iceland, Norway and the United Kingdom. http://www.cedefop.europa.eu/en/events-and-projects/networks/refernet

/cedefop @cedefop refernet

Table of contents

Acknowledgements ............................................................................................. 5

Executive summary ............................................................................................. 6

Introduction ......................................................................................................... 7

Chapter 1. Impact of digitalisation in the Netherlands................................... 9

Chapter 2. VET policy strategies to adapt to digitalisation .......................... 14 2.1. The government’s digital strategies .............................................. 14

2.2. The position of VET in national digitalisation plans ....................... 15

Chapter 3. VET initiatives and programmes ............................................... 17 3.1. Updating qualifications and the digitalisation of learning

environments in VET ..................................................................................... 17

3.2. Digitalisation of VET, the role of the government .......................... 20

3.3. Digitalisation in adult education and training ................................. 21

Chapter 4. Local projects and initiatives ..................................................... 22

Chapter 5. Adapting to AI and automation .................................................. 26

Chapter 6. Conclusions .............................................................................. 28

Abbreviations and acronyms ............................................................................. 30

Bibliography ...................................................................................................... 31

Web links (not listed in the Bibliography) ........................................................... 33

List of tables, figures and boxes

Tables Table 1. Impact of digitalisation in 12 occupations in 6 sectors ........ 12

Figures Figure 1. Education levels of the working population 1969-2009 (%) 11 Figure 2. Education levels of the labour force; trends 1990-2013,

prognoses 2014-2025 (x1 000) ......................................... 11 Figure 3. Enrolment figures for VET by level; trends and prognoses

2000-2030 (x1000) ............................................................ 12

Boxes Box 1. Impact of digitalisation by level and type of work level

10 Box 2. Outcomes of the VET ICT monitor 2017 ................... 19

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Acknowledgements

When collecting and organising information on digitisation in work and education processes, it is sometimes hard to see the forest through the trees, as a great variety of concepts is used without any form of hierarchy, or references to specific areas of application: ICT, technology, 4.0 technologies, digitalisation, automation, robotisation, etc. Unless specifically used and elucidated in publications quoted in this report, we stick to ‘digitalisation’ as a general term.

A great number of people were kind to help out and suggested examples or specific reports, but special thanks to Dr Peter van Ijsselmuiden and Mr Jeroen van Mierlo working in the VET Direction of the Dutch Ministry of Education, Mr Herman van der Plas, Coordinating policy officer for the Ministry’s Department for International Policy, Mr Bram Loog, expert with SBB, and Mr Pieter Moerman and Ms Dominiek Veen of the Katapult organisation (1). And, of course my ReferNet colleagues, Ms Hester Smulders and Ms Annemiek Cox.

(1) The Katapult organisation facilitates cooperation between schools, the business world

and society in over 300 partnerships.

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Executive summary The answer to the question if the Netherlands have adopted a national policy for meeting the challenges of digitalisation is most certainly affirmative. Consecutive governments have launched comprehensive digitalisation programs, the most recent being the Action Plan for Artificial Intelligence (October 2019), has appointed a ‘Digicommissioner’ to coordinate (further) developments in the digital governmental infrastructures, and putting the current junior minister in the Home Office in a coordinating position for the digitalisation of all governmental services to the public. In defining its activities and policies, the government can build on the fact that the digital infrastructure of this country is state of the art, with 97% of Dutch households having internet facilities.

A more complicated question is whether a government should anticipate the effects of digitalisation for society and itself, or just keep a close eye on developments. A popular way to provoke discussions on this subject is to image the future in two contrasting scenarios: (i) digitalisation takes shape in a piecemeal or (ii) in a disruptive process. In reality, both scenarios might become reality in one form or another. In particular, applications of artificial intelligence (AI) might force governments to evolve from a facilitating into a proactive role.

New technologies applied in occupations find their way in national VET qualifications through a finely-tuned infrastructure of committees and procedures created to convert developments in occupations into national VET qualifications. Not yet by using Big Data, but in setting up informal networks, SBB, responsible for updating VET qualifications, experiments with new - and more effective – work processes to speed up the update of qualifications.

The uptake of new technologies in teaching and learning in VET is relatively slow. Given school autonomy, it is up to individual schools how to implement digitalisation in teaching and learning. Therefore, it is not surprising there is no comprehensive overview of digital initiatives at school level. From the examples we can learn that initiatives take many forms.

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CHAPTER 1. Introduction

Recent years have seen an outburst of news items and subsequent debates on the implications of technological change for the future world of work. In the Netherlands, debates were fuelled by outcomes of a repeat study of the 2013 USA based Frey and Osborne study with data for the Netherlands (Deloitte, 2014). Findings revealed that, while routine work may disappear at all occupational levels, the biggest impact will be felt at lower skills levels, and by people with secondary education (secondary VET) qualifications. Lower-skilled workers will be replaced by computers. Generally speaking, the organisation of work is likely to change, as routine work will be done by computers, and remaining and new activities reallocated.

The following years discussions in the Netherlands focused on the implications of technological developments for workers with secondary VET(medium level) qualifications; will the labour market polarise, as in particular medium skilled positions will disappear, or is the demand for higher skilled workers going to rise, at the costs of the low-skilled in particular? Will new technologies be gradually incorporated into job structures and the organisation of work, or will we end up in a future we cannot yet imagine (Van Horssen and Meijs, 2017)?

The macro economic and social effects of new technologies are uncertain. It is not that the latest technological developments are not adopted in the business community, or not timely translated into secondary VET qualifications. People are concerned by the fact that we do not yet know what these developments will imply for the employment structure as a whole and what the role of the government could, or should be, both in relation to business, labour market and to education. Whether that role should be proactive or merely reactive.

This article describes the current state of affairs (as of autumn 2019) in the Netherlands, as well as the initiatives that have taken place recently, or are considered. The first chapter provides an introduction into digitalisation developments in NT and opens with a selection of data on NL digital performance in general and labour market developments; whether and how occupations or occupational structures are influenced by digitalisation and whether the participation in education in terms of attainment levels is consistent with trends in the demand for labour. Next, we describe what role the government has taken in this policy area. This chapter answers the question if the Netherlands has adopted a national policy for meeting the challenges of digitalisation and the fourth Industrial/ information age, and to which extent VET reforms are envisaged as part of these strategies.

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The second chapter describes how technological developments in

occupational practice impact on VET policy strategies. At strategic level, the government's vision of the role and position of secondary VET in preparing new generations for the digital revolution is reviewed.

This third chapter answers the question whether the Netherlands has any new VET programs and/or has updated qualifications in alignment with new skill needs posed by any form of new technologies. It also tackles the issue whether or not the Netherlands have adopted a suitable VET provision (e.g. classification systems for training content).

The fourth chapter highlights a number of projects and initiatives in VET that aim at bringing digitalisation into the school (learning practices helping young people to prepare for a changing labour market and the professional practices of the future (in general and for (shortage) sectors and vocations).

The fifth chapter discusses how the Netherlands prepares for challenges and opportunities related to Artificial Intelligence and related action plan launched by the government.

The report concludes with a summary of the findings and some observations by the author (chapter 4).

18 December 2019 ‘s – Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands Anneke Westerhuis

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CHAPTER 2. Impact of digitalisation in the Netherlands In this chapter we describe what is known about developments in professional practices in the Netherlands; whether and how digitalisation affects occupations and job structures, what is expected for the near future and what priority issues the government has defined. In this chapter we will answer the question whether the Netherlands has adopted a national policy for meeting the challenges of digitalisation, e.g. the fourth Industrial/information age, and the extent to which VET reforms are incorporated in policy strategies.

According to the Digital Economy and Society Index (DESI), summarising relevant indicators on digital performance, all EU countries has improved recently. However, Finland, Sweden, the Netherlands, and Denmark had the highest ratings in DESI 2019 and are among the global leaders in digitalisation.

An in-depth analyses tells us that the Netherlands ranks high in the use of internet services and in digital public services. However, its Human Capital ranking fell somewhat. This, according to the DESI 2019 Country Report, reflects both an increasing demand of professionals with digital skills outside the core ICT industries, and the difficulty -acknowledged by the current Dutch government and all stakeholders- of adapting education policies to the complex challenges posed by the digital transformation of all sectors (2).

As indicated in the Introduction, discussions in the Netherlands often focus on the impact of digitalisation on job structures, and on how job structures will look like in the future. In addition, they also contemplate how the transition process will look like and which scenario may prevail: (i) a piecemeal process, enabling businesses, education and government policies to adjust to new realities, or (ii) a disruption befalling on us, with no time to consider policy interventions?

The Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR) opted for an intermediate position (2015) when stating that as society we have a choice how to deal with challenges associated with new technologies. The future is not determined by technological possibilities only, but also by choices made by governments, companies, employees and consumers. Nevertheless, the feeling prevails that for the long term we don’t have a clear view of the consequences; we do not know which of the two scenarios (technology changing society in a gradual or in a disruptive way) will become reality.

(2) See: https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/desi; and also:

https://ec.europa.eu/digital-single-market/en/scoreboard/netherlands

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Under the assumption that trends will not break down, analyses of historic trends might give an indication of what may lay ahead of us. What popular occupations, in terms of rising demands, have in common is a large share of interactive activities, while occupations in decline a low share. this is seen as an indication that interactive activities will be included in most types of jobs in the near future, if only because routine tasks have been digitalised (Van den Berge and ter Weel, 2015).

Box 1. Impact of digitalisation by level and type of work level

Routine work - manual (lower education level): repetitive work of a physical nature. This is often unskilled work that is increasingly being replaced by machines. Routine work - cognitive (secondary education level): processing information, as in administration. Since the IT revolution of the 1980s, the use of computers for this type of work has increased. Non-routine work – manual (low educated): work without much repetition and physical in nature, as in maintenance and hairdressing. Up to now these activities are difficult to digitalise. Non-routine work - cognitive (highly educated): work without much repetition in producing, processing and manipulating information, as in management, science and other professional positions. Computers often are complementary to these professional activities.

Source: Van Est, 2015, 120

So far, labour market polarisation was limited in the Netherlands. On the contrary, labour market demands have risen for workers with medium education levels, at the cost of the lower skilled. The demand for higher educated (HE) workers has grown in sectors with traditionally large shares of VET graduates. And sectors traditionally employing many semi-skilled workers, demands for workers with a VET qualification have risen. The net effect is a generic increase of the level of education of the working population. Figure 1 illustrates this trend over 40 years; the share of high (HE) qualified workers (HBO/WO) has risen continuously, while the share with a VET qualification (HAVO/VWO/MBO 2-4) stabilised; the share of the lower qualified (basic/ VMBO/MBO 1) declined drastically (UWV, 2014).

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Figure 1. Education levels of the working population 1969-2009 (%)

basic level (VET/EQF1 max) secondary level (VET/EQF4 max) higher level (EQF8 max) Source: De Graaf-Zijl, et al., 2015, 11.

Figure 2 shows historic trends and prognoses in the levels of education of the workforce. The figure shows a diagonal increase in the (expected) numbers of workers with a HE qualification, a diagonal decline in the (expected) number of low-skilled workers and a stable (expected) number of workers with a secondary education (VET) qualification.

Figure 2. Education levels of the labour force; trends 1990-2013, prognoses 2014-2025 (x1 000)

basic level (VET/EQF1 max) secondary level (VET/EQF4 max) higher level (EQF8 max) Source: De Graaf-Zijl, et al., 2015, 52

In VET the proportion of students enrolling in EQF level 4 courses has increased, while the numbers drop at level 2 in particular (Figure 3). Both trends are expected to continue in the near future. Declines in enrolment after 2020 can largely be attributed to demographic developments.

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Figure 3. Enrolment figures for VET by level; trends and prognoses 2000-2030 (x1000)

…….. level 1 ……. level 2 …… level 3 ….… level 4 Source: OCW, 2018.

Enrolment trends in secondary VET and in the demand for labour coincide to a large extent; VET level 4 attracts more students, while enrolment drops at level 2. This is also because almost two-thirds of these students continue at level 3, while the remaining VET level 2 graduates have to find their way in a shrinking share of the labour market, facing an increasingly smaller segment of the labour market, especially in Care, Administration and ICT (CMBO, 2017). On the other hand, there are huge demands – and shortages – for level 2 graduates in sectors like Construction, Manufacturing and Engineering, but as suggested in Van Horssen and Meijs’ report (2017), in the near future these jobs might be at risk as well when the level of digitalisation increases.

Another way of imagining the future is to analyse the impact of digitalisation and automation in job structures in detail; at the job floor. Van Horssen and Meijs, commissioned by UWV, analysed the impact of digitalisation in 12 occupations in technological advanced sectors. Table 1 shows developments as expected by companies in these sectors:

Table 1. Impact of digitalisation in 12 occupations in 6 sectors

Sector Occupation Types of digitalisation Metal Industry Welder, Assembly worker Lean manufacturing Logistics & haulage

Order picker; Lorry driver Robotisation of warehouses & distribution centres

Retail Salesperson; Sales manager Web shops Administration Secretary, Financial assistant Automation & digitisation of

administrative processes Health care Nurse, District nurse E-health, telecare ICT System administrator, Service desk New applications of digitalisation,

automation & robotisation Source: Van Horssen and Meijs, 2017.

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In terms of content and methodology, it is interesting that the researchers conclude that future effects of digitalisation are not unambiguous, not even in the short term, as they are difficult to isolate from effects evoked by globalisation, macroeconomics and government policies. Besides, there are differences in the adoption of new technologies, as they require large investments. In particular in small companies, changes will take time and job structures will change at a slower pace, compared to international operating companies. For the researchers the only certainty is that in general the proportion of routine (physical and cognitive) tasks will decrease and non-routine tasks and social competencies will be the core of a greater number of occupations.

Van Horssen and Meijs’ (2017) describe by way of example a number of occupational changes in welding. Digitalisation is important to the manufacturing industry, also because of the lasting shortages in skilled labour. The introduction of robots will change the nature of welding, but not in all companies and in the same way. In car factory assembly lines factories, digitalisation will be more cost-efficient than for shipbuilders engaging in one-off production. In general, it is expected that low skilled welding activities will disappear. If welding is fully automated instead of skilled welders, semi-skilled workers will operate robots.

However, it is also possible that, in addition to welding activities, new generations of welders will have to perform at higher skill levels, for instance in maintenance. Furthermore, robots must be programmed and this requires both knowledge of welding techniques and programming skills. Besides, it is not certain that all welding will be fully digitalised. A choice for semi-automated welding, keeping (some) welding activities in the company, might enable employers to maintain jobs which would otherwise disappear to low cost countries; when welders do not have to do the welding themselves, they still have to be able to check whether a device is correctly set up. In summary, the future of welting can take many forms, depending on the expected benefits of digitalisation and how companies will cluster traditional and new tasks in job hierarchies.

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CHAPTER 3. VET policy strategies to adapt to digitalisation

3.1. The government’s digital strategies In 2016, the then Dutch government Rutte II published a Digital Agenda for the Dutch economy (Ministerie van Economische Zaken, 2016). The paper outlines the importance of ICT for this country. The contribution of ICT to macroeconomic growth is 25%, 97% of the households have an internet connection and there is a state of the art digital infrastructure. ICT is a source of innovation, of new business, new applications, new insights, products and services, of work processes and new companies (start-ups). In short, the Netherlands belongs at the top of world rankings as it is second in the 2016 Digital Economic and Society Index of the European Commission. However, there are also concerns: current and expected shortages of ICT experts, how ICT will affect the employment structure, the position of vulnerable groups in the digital world and the growing need for cybersecurity, given that now more data are available and in circulation.

The government defined a number of roles for itself. First, to stimulate knowledge development and the application of new knowledge, also in education and lifelong learning. In addition, the government wants to secure a high-quality and safe digital infrastructure and higher levels of privacy protection.

The current government Rutte III, taking office in autumn 2017, issued a national Digitalisation Strategy (2018) (3) shifting the focus to governmental core services. According to the new strategy the government should:

• invest in (business) innovation; looking for solutions for urgent social questions in cooperation with businesses and scholars and executed in innovative forms like start-ups;

• protect fundamental rights and public values: the Dutch government aims to lead the way in the use of new digital techniques, but at the same time it wants to protect the rights of all citizens and entrepreneurs, when faced with the negative consequences of digital innovations;

• make its services accessible and understandable for everyone, by providing 24/7 digital solutions, and for those not able or willing, by other means of communication as well;

(3) See https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/rapporten/2018/06/01/nederlandse-

digitaliseringsstrategie

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provide personalised services: thanks to digitisation, the government is able to provide integrated public and private services, for example around life events like marriages, births or the start of a business.

The 2018 Agenda contains two priorities for the education system: (a) more attention to digital literacy and practical skills in primary and secondary

education curricula; (b) agreement between sectors, including the education sector, and private

parties on standards, supervision and enforcement, conditional for the provision of integrated services and data sharing.

3.2. The position of VET in national digitalisation plans It will be clear that VET is not a specific subject – or area of concern – in the national Digitalisation and AI plans presented in the previous section of this chapter. An important reason is that VET is involved in a number of specific plans, all based on the principle that VET reforms, not in terms of structural or institutional reforms, but in terms of subject and didactic/learning tool reforms, should generate from close cooperation with local (leading) industries in technology, heath care, agriculture, commerce, etc. as well at a strategic as an operational (curricula, learning venues) level.

Cooperation is organised in long term programs and based on regional public private partnerships (schools and business), co-financed by the government under condition of the approval of the regional plan and contribution to regular national monitoring activities. One of the most relevant programs, in terms of budgets and participation, is the Regionaal Investeringsfonds (Regional Investment Fund RIF) (4).

RIF started in 2014 with a budget of 100 million euros. Up to and including 2017, the former Minister of Education Bussemaker (OCW) made this budget available for sustainable public-private partnerships in VET. The subsidy contribution had to be supplemented with a financial contribution from regional partners in business and regional authorities.

RIF has proved to be successful in stimulating regional cooperation between VET and the industry; 'a catalyst for the innovation in VET it has been called'. A total of 111 partnerships received more than 100 million euros from the government, supplemented by the business community and regional authorities

(4) http://www.investeringsfondsmbo.nl/

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with a further 215 million euros (5). Because the results were above expectations, it was decided to continue RIF for another four-year period, starting in 2019. The new and current Minister subsequently allocated another 100 million euros up to 2022, covering over 300 projects in 2019 (6).

(5) http://www.investeringsfondsmbo.nl/ (6) https://www.wijzijnkatapult.nl/files/downloads/Impactmeting%202019/

Katapult%20Jaarverslag%202019%20NL%20VERSIE%20HV.pdf

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CHAPTER 4. VET initiatives and programmes In this chapter we also examine how applications of new technologies in occupational practices are translated into VET qualifications. And we will look deeper into the role of the government in education and in the field of lifelong learning, in preparing the VET system and VET graduates for a digital future.

4.1. Updating qualifications and the digitalisation of learning environments in VET

In secondary VET, the implementation of ICT in education is channelled through (a) a finely-tuned infrastructure of committees and procedures arranged to

convert (digital) developments in all occupations into national VET qualifications;

(b) policies and initiatives of VET schools to apply digitalisation in teaching and learning.

4.1.1. Updating VET qualifications The Netherlands has a close-knit consultation structure in which education and industry can discuss the impact of occupational changes on VET qualifications. In SBB (7), and its sub-structure of sector chambers and committees the business community and the VET schools keep track of developments in occupational practice and decide in consultation whether it is time to adjust qualifications or to develop new ones. In other words, an infrastructure is available in which the effects of technological developments on educational qualifications can be discussed in regular consultations between education and industry.

Besides the formal infrastructure, new initiatives are emerging continuously. Recently SBB launched, by way of experiment, a number of internet-based ‘trend communities’, inviting people working at many levels in companies to act as ‘trend watcher’. The idea is to involve more experts, also from deeper levels in work organisations - and not only representatives from organisations – in ongoing

(7) SBB: united in the Cooperation Organisation for VET and the Labour Market, VET

schools and economic sector share responsibility for updating the VET qualification framework and reporting on labour market developments and misbalances between the supply and the demand for work placements. (https://www.s-bb.nl/en).

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reporting of what is happening in the job market. Information produced at sector, or occupation level and published in trend reports, is used to update VET qualifications, or to consider the introduction of new ones (8).

Another example is the Technology Working Group, set up in 2018. Technical sectors are facing serious staff shortages, in for instance cyber security and data-experts. The Working Group with the participation of government, social partners’ organisations, education and business community delegates aims to strengthen the position of technical education in VET, by increasing the influx of students in newly developed technical training courses and addressing teacher’s shortages. In addition to improving relations between education and the labour market, facilities for lifelong learning will be set up in organising flexible VET courses. Digitalisation itself is not central in this agenda, although one could rightly claim that digitalisation is the mother of this initiative (9).

4.1.2. Digitalisation of learning environments in VET The application of new technologies in teaching and learning is one of the topics of the Policy Agreement (2018-22), concluded by the government and all VET-schools. All schools have agreed to prioritise this topic in coming years, even though VET schools currently differ in speed and in their range of adoption of digitalisation.

The national council of VET schools and education-based ICT organisations (saMBO ICT (10), Kennisnet (11), SURF (12)) joined forces in a collective initiative, inviting schools to join. This is a breakthrough, as until now collective actions have been rather instrumental; SaMBO ICT was born as an initiative of VET schools wishing to consult each other on ICT policies. Even though it is still early days,

(8) See:http://trendrapportages.s-bb.nl/ictci-2018/trendrapportage-

ictci/;https://www.dagvanhetmbo.nl/speaker/sandra-mathijssen-en-priya-jankie/. (9) See:https://www.s-bb.nl/nieuws/werkgroep-technologie-aan-de-slag-met-

uitdagingen-in-technisch-beroepsonderwijs (10) saMBO-ICT works, as an independent organisation, for all VET schools, in close

cooperation with the national council of VET schools, Kennisnet and SURF. Its most important fields of activity: advocacy, knowledge sharing and initiating projects. (https://www.surf.nl/over-surf)

(11) Kennisnet is a public organisation providing for a national ICT infrastructure in education. It advises the sector councils for primary, secondary and VET schools and local schools in professional use of ICT in classrooms and school management. (https://www.kennisnet.nl/)

(12) SURF is a an initiative of academic universities, universities of applied sciences, VET schools, university medical centres and research institutes, having joined forces in promoting ICT innovation at administrative, policy and operational level (https://www.surf.nl/over-surf/organisatie-en-bestuur/cooperatie-surf/index.html)

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there is a feeling that this the right moment for this initiative, as the number of local initiatives is rising, and more experiences are to be shared.

Box 2. Outcomes of the VET ICT monitor 2017

One of the activities of Kennisnet and saMBO ICT is to organise the VET ICT monitor on an annual basis. An important conclusion of the 2017 edition, published in 2018, is that the level of application of ICT in teaching lies below the expectations of the school management. Managers hold higher ambitions compared to teachers. Another interesting finding is that VET teachers dispose of a rich repertoire of didactic methods and apply more ICT facilities in their lessons, compared to the recent past. All in all, the use of ICT is growing in VET and increasingly applied to facilitate individual learning; PC’s are being replaced by tablets.

Source: https://www.kennisnet.nl/artikel/ict-monitor-mbo-2017-inzicht-in-ict-organisatie-en-ict-gebruik-in-het-mbo/

Compared to Higher Education, VET is a late adopter. already in the end

of 2017, the Association of Universities of Applied Sciences, the Association of Universities and SURF presented an ‘Acceleration Agenda for educational innovation’ (13) referring to ICT-based innovations. This agenda has been converted into a 4-year plan with topics varying from the professionalization of teachers and the introduction of flexible education programs to a wider use of digital learning tools (Open Educational Resources, Open Course Ware) and securing the use of study data. Activities are funded by the government for an annual grand of one million euros; four million in total.

Beginning 2018 the Ministry of Education launched the Digitalisation Agenda for Primary and secondary (general) education with five spearheads for a five-year period (2019-2013): • teachers, school leaders and school principals innovate by learning together and in cooperation with other parties, for instance experts;

• students and teachers are digitally literate; • digital learning tools are user-friendly; • the technological infrastructure is safe, reliable and future-proof; • the ethical side of digitization in education is object of structural

attention (14).

(13) http://www.vsnu.nl/files/documenten/Versnellingsplan.pdf (14) https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/publicaties/2019/03/22/

digitaliseringsagenda-primair-en-voortgezet-onderwijs

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4.2. Digitalisation of VET, the role of the government On both themes (the development of curricula -based on the national qualification framework- and the application of digital learning tools in classrooms) VET schools are autonomous, as regulated in law and policy agreements. This is why the government sees no leading role for itself in terms of advising on the update of educational contents and digitalisation of learning. The institutes presented in this chapter, with the VET schools, are the main ones to take responsibility. By helping to set up and finance ICT-related organisations, the government aims to create an infrastructure for the longer term, instead of creating a patchwork of ad hoc, specific, and maybe overlapping, short living projects.

Its role is much more in creating adequate conditions, always in consultation with other stakeholders. A good example is the Technology Working Group; an initiative of the ICT sector with support by the Ministry of Education (Section 2.1.1.). Another is the role the current Government has assumed in launching a new policy agenda for Life Long Development (not limited anymore only to learning but extended to include development). In this field, the government sees a role for itself in ensuring a sufficient supply of facilities and in stimulating workers and jobseekers to participate; to prepare themselves for new developments in the labour market (including new technology).

However, it cannot be ruled out that in the future the Dutch Government will take the initiative to promote further digitalisation of VET; initiatives by the Ministry of Interior, responsible for digitalisation of the public sector, and initiatives for legislation by the European Union (e.g. regarding privacy; identification; accessibility, etc.) have made this necessary in the recent past. However, never without consulting VET stakeholders. Apart from publishing policy letters, the ministry of Education discuss digitalisation issues with the national councils for schools (primary, secondary and VET) and higher education institutes on a regular basis. For instance, in a national dialogue with the education stakeholders and the Education Agency of the ministry, DUO15, organised in the so-called ‘Informatiekamer’ (Information room), chaired by the Ministry of Education’s Secretary General. It is felt that dialogue is essential for gaining the education sector’s support for the introduction of new technologies such as AI. Or gaining support for collective actions altogether, for instance for building a shared and

(15) DUO issues, on behalf of the Ministry of Education, student loans, finances

educational institutions; collects and manages educational data in different registers and translates those data in data products; and is in charge of the recognition of diplomas, managing the diploma register.

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binding VET-wide framework of standards and criteria. Anyhow, the VET department of the Ministry of Education keeps close eye on developments in VET in the form of a special policy advisor, who also has the role to prepare a regular dialogue with the VET sector.

4.3. Digitalisation in adult education and training UWV, the Netherlands Employee Insurance Agency is an autonomous administrative authority, commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment to implement employee insurances and provide labour market and data services, including providing for training schemes for the unemployed. If ‘the country’ would already have developed national training programmes with specific focus on assisting adults who may have been displaced by their jobs because they were affected by automation, they should have been developed under the commission of UWV.

Having said that, it is relevant to know that UWV‘s focus is to help workers to remain employed or to find (new) employment, training being one of the instruments to reach this aim. Developing national training programmes aiming to assist groups of adults being displaced by their jobs is not UWV’s primal focus; assisting workers in finding (new) employment is organised in local individual trajectories, taking a client’s working experiences and education level into account. With the current low unemployment rate (3.5%, September 2019) (16) it is neither probable that UWV will consider organising country-wide socio-economic transition programs.

This not to say that UWV does not keep a close eye on labour market trends regarding digitalisation and AI. Findings are however not channelled through courses, but published on a very regular basis at the UWV internet in a series of reports addressing all kinds of labour market trends (17).

(16) See: https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/nieuws/2019/38/werkloosheid-gestegen-naar-3-5-

procent (17) See: https://www.uwv.nl/overuwv/kennis-cijfers-en-onderzoek/

Zoekresultaten.aspx?search=Veranderende+arbeidsmarkt%2c+2019

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CHAPTER 5. Local projects and initiatives This chapter highlights a number of projects and initiatives in bringing digitalisation into VET schools. The aim is to give an impression of the various topics, aims and scale of these initiatives. The selection is by no means representative, although characteristic for all projects in this overview, except examples 9 and 10, is that they are grounded in (public-private) partnerships of schools and local industries, co-financed by long term national subsidy programs such as RIF (Regional Investment Fund; see paragraph 1.4), and supported and supervised by expert organisations like Katapult (see footnote 1).

1 Cooperation of VET sector in developing technology health care modules In cooperation with two local platform organisations of care providers in the province of Utrecht, four VET schools, one of them MBO Amersfoort, have produced new optional modules focussing on the application of technology in health care professions: the ‘Health Care Innovation and Technology’ module for VET level 4 programs and the ‘Care and Technology’ module for VET level 3 programs (18).

2 ICT academy of MBO Utrecht VET school MBO Utrecht has clustered all its technology courses in an ICT academy. The academy provides courses dedicated to managing ICT systems, computers and networks, to the development of applications, media and games, software products for office and industrial automation, etc. (19).

3 Robotics, roc van Amsterdam The level 4 program ‘Technician Engineering Mechatronics’, prepares students for designing and building complex machines and devices, including robots and medical devices. The program includes social skills training, given that the occupation consists teamwork and supervising junior colleagues. Topics are for instance: (c) designing mechatronic products; (d) building, checking and testing mechatronic products; (e) drawing and reading drawings;

(18) See: https://www.mboamersfoort.nl/nieuws/technologie-morgen-zorgonderwijs-nu/ (19) See: https://www.mboutrecht.nl/academies/ict-academie/

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(f) cost calculation; (g) managing production processes; (h) supervising and guiding junior colleagues (20).

4 Creating new jobs for VET students As job opportunities for VET level 2 students in care are declining, the Eindhoven based VET school Summa College identified a new domain in combining the potential of new (care) technology with traditional care for the growing number of the elderly living on their own, instead of in a care home. This new area of work was defined in cooperation with technology companies as well as local care homes and organisations providing home care (21). 5 Working and learning in a 3D Maker Zone in the framework of the 3DMZ (3D Makers Zone) program, a Haarlem based Field Lab set up to facilitate companies to develop new concepts and prototyping Industrial 3D-Printing, Block chain technology and the Internet of Things applications, VET students have the opportunity to develop their 21th century skills as well as to familiarize with these technological competencies and skills. Teams of VET and HE-students, coming from different courses, cooperate in solving authentic problems or innovation challenges put to them by companies operating in this 3D Field Lab. For the VET school involved in this project this 3D Makers Zone serves as a ‘field lab’ for developing new teaching methods, for instance self- and peer assessment procedures (22).

6 Field lab Industrial Robotics The Harderwijk based Field lab Industrial Robotics operates a similar concept, in terms of cooperation between (VET and HE) education and industry and in experimenting with the application of new technologies in terms of developing, programming and operating robotic machines. Ultimate aim of the VET and HE schools involved in this initiative is to update and to develop new curricula applying the knowledge of new technologies, their applications and student experiences gained in this field lab (23).

(20) See: https://www.rocva.nl/MBO-onderwijs/Sectoren/Technology-Engineering-

Design/Technicus-Engineering-Mechatronica (21) See: https://samenslimzorgenthuis.nl/ (22) See: https://www.3dmakerszone.com/index.html (23) See: http://www.fieldlabir.nl/nl/over-ons/

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7 Workplace for Digital Craftsmanship In partnership with a great number of industries, local authorities and HE-institutes in the Groningen area the Noorderpoort VET school has established a workplace, intended as meeting spot for students, (start-up) companies and the local population. The workplace is instrumental in enabling the schools to adapt their curricula faster and in close cooperation with local industries. Cooperation goes two ways: i) companies assist young people to familiarize with digital developments, ii) companies will be more aware of the VET-students’ competencies when looking for job candidates, as an alternative for HE-graduates. How digital developments will affect VET and the nature of Craftsmanship is an important topic on the workplace innovation agenda (24). 8 Cyberpact P@CT P@CT is a partnership uniting people and organisations in the field of cybersecurity with members coming from (VET and HE) schools, companies and local authorities. In the coming years P@CT will transform into a standing platform within the The Hague Security Delta, serving as a so far missing link between this sector and sector policies and VET. The pact is relevant for the local VET school, Mondriaan College, as source of information to develop state of the art cybersecurity programs. For the cybersecurity industries and clients, the partnership is relevant to get students acquainted with the cybersecurity sector and its job opportunities. And for the students this partnership offers possibilities to experience real life cybersecurity challenges (25).

9 Learning and working in a Community of Practice In November 2018, a number of VET schools, the Council of VET schools, a research organisation, a University of Applied Sciences (HE) and ICT platform Kennisnet, financed by the Ministry of Education, launched the ‘learning and ICT'. Community of Practice for VET teachers and team managers. Participants co-work with experts to answer practice-based questions. Teacher participants join the community to answer questions such as how to use ICT for program flexibilisation? How to visualise subject matters for students? How to learn students to apply new technologies as used in professional practice? (26)

(24) See: https://www.noorderpoort.nl/actueel/werkplaats-voor-digitaal-vakmanschap-

noorderpoort-krijgt-miljoenenbijdrage/ (25) See: https://techniekict.rocmondriaan.nl/cyberpact/over-cyber-pct/ (26) See:https://www.kennisnet.nl/bijeenkomsten/agenda/mbo-onderwijs-ontwikkelen-

met-de-community-of-practice-leren-en-ict/

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10 New services: building integrated learning environments in VET With a growing demand for implementing new technologies in study courses, companies widen their scope. For instance, the former textbook publisher Thieme Meulenhoff, has specialised in developing digital learning environments, also in VET (27).

(27) See: https://www.thiememeulenhoff.nl/mbo/edition

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CHAPTER 6. Adapting to AI and automation

October 2019 the government has launched an ‘Action Plan for Artificial Intelligence’ (AI). The plan aims to exploit the opportunities of AI and includes funding arrangements for researchers and entrepreneurs. Unlike many other national AI strategies, this plan claims, this Action Plan also focuses on framework conditions for the successful application of AI such as training, data use, digital infrastructure and the protection of citizens' rights by providing for appropriate ethical and legal frameworks. The Plan is subdivided into three policy tracks: 1) exploiting social and economic opportunities; 2) creating the right conditions; 3) strengthening the foundations (28).

1) Exploiting social and economic opportunities Track 1 aims to seize social and economic opportunities, by means of strong

Public-Private Partnerships, allowing the Netherlands to make a difference on the European playing field and on global markets. Companies - from start-ups and scale-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to large corporations – make the difference with their innovation and competitiveness. it is up to them whether the Netherlands sets the tone with AI or only follows what happens abroad. And whether its application is valuable for the economy and society. Added value can be due to responses to societal challenges, or market demand. The government will elaborate this track further in cooperation with the Dutch AI Coalition (29) and calls on companies and organizations to join in this coalition.

2) Creating the right conditions Track 2 aims to set the conditions for a productive AI climate in the economy

and society. This includes the availability of adequate knowledge and skills, and training facilities, top quality scientific AI research and applied research beneficial for entrepreneurs and professionals. As well as data-sources and high-quality and intelligent connectivity. The government will invest in research programs, in financial innovation schemes for start-ups and in training. And in stimulating data sharing and digital connectivity with and for AI.

(28) See: https://www.rijksoverheid.nl/documenten/beleidsnotas/2019/10/08/strategisch-

actieplan-voor-artificiele-intelligentie (29) The Dutch AI Coalition has been set up in October 2019 by more than 65 companies,

civil society organizations and research institutions, together with Employer Organisations and the Government in 2019 (https://www.mkb.nl/nieuws/65-partners-lanceren-nederlandse-ai-coalitie).

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3) Strengthening the foundations Track 3 concerns the protection of citizens’ fundamental rights and

appropriate legal and ethical frameworks, so that people and companies can rely that AI is used with care. It is important that markets are open and competitive and national security is safeguarded in all AI developments. To this end, the necessary laws and regulations are already in force, or are being prepared. In addition, the government is following the AI developments carefully and stimulates the use of (European) ethical guidelines for AI applications by companies and public organizations.

Among the many activities, the Action Plan announces three initiatives indented for the general public, in particular the labour force, and two target groups in terms of to promote their understanding of the implications of AI. To guarantee an inclusive labour market, the workforce must be involved in AI-developments, providing them with tools to invest in their personal development his or her development. At this moment only the select group of highly skilled workers and employees on permanent contract are involved in training courses, while in the coming 10 years 3 million working people will need digital training, and between 40 and 45 thousand people have to retrain every year. This requires an annual investment of € 6 to 7 billion (30). Secondly, the Action Plan announces that the Regional Chambers of Commerce will organise programs informing SME’s on AI-developments. And finally, Central government will invest in digital course series for civil servants to increase their knowledge of AI, as well as paying inserting the subject of AI in all competence development programs for civil servants.

(30) The Action Plan does not specify whether this budget will be made available in the

framework of this plan, but given the huge amount, this is not very likely. See for the general developments concerning ‘Life Long Development’ hereafter.

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CHAPTER 7. Conclusions The answer to the question whether the Netherlands have adopted a national policy for meeting the challenges of digitalisation will certainly be affirmative. That is, consecutive governments have launched comprehensive digitalisation programs, appointed a ‘Digicommissioner’ to coordinate the (further) development of digital governmental infrastructures (2014), while the current junior minister in the Home Office has been made responsible for the overall digitalisation of governmental services to the public. And councils (WRR) and expert organisations (TNO, Rathenau Instituut) feed the government (and society) with their findings and observations. Besides, in the RIF program VET schools are facilitated to update their curricula and learning environments in close cooperation with technological advanced companies, including ICT, robotics, companies.

Quite another subject is whether governments can anticipate the effects of digitalisation. A popular way to provoke discussions on this subject is by imagining the future in two opposite scenarios:

a. digitalisation takes shape in a piecemeal process. b. digitalisation will be a disruptive process.

Although the Scientific Council for Government Policy (WRR, 2013) points to the fact that the future is also determined by choices made in society itself, feelings prevail that ‘there is a lot we don’t know about’. Maybe both scenarios will become reality to a certain extent. That is to say, we do not know how and to what extent particular applications of artificial intelligence might have a social impact; it might indeed have a disruptive effect. This being the case, governments may be forced to evolve from having a facilitating role into a proactive one, if only in presenting perspectives on how artificial intelligence might affect society as a whole.

In the Netherlands, relations between the education system and the labour market take the form of a double helix: upward trends in enrolment levels are reflected in the rise of the qualification levels demanded in the labour market; current labour shortages are diagnosed as qualitative mismatches; while vacancies manifest in middle and higher skilled jobs, a great many of the lower skilled are unemployed. In VET in general, students that have graduated at level 3 and 4 are much in demand compared to those that have graduated at VET level 2 (Mr. Thijs Geijer, researcher with ING in: Trouw, 20th December 2018 p 17).

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New technologies applied in occupational practice find their way in national VET qualifications through a finely tuned infrastructure of committees and procedures created to convert (digital) developments in occupations into national VET qualifications. Not yet by using big data, but in setting up networks SBB experiments with more effective work processes for updating qualifications.

The uptake of new technologies in teaching and learning in Dutch VET is, compared to HE, relatively slow. Only in 2018 the community of VET schools agreed to prioritise this topic for the coming years. One of the explanations might be that VET schools are quite autonomous; leaving little space for the government to lead the way. Another is that VET offers a great diversity of programs in terms of occupations, levels, tracks and specialist teachers; not an ideal breeding ground for sweeping innovations. Until now, government sees for itself a role in ensuring a sufficient supply of facilities. For instance, facilities for lifelong learning, as well as developing a digital infrastructure in education. But like with other educational sectors, the Ministry has a regular high-level dialogue with the VET sector. The VET department of the Ministry of Education keeps a close eye on developments, but it does not yet have a balanced view whether the Ministry of Education should take an initiating role. However, it does not rule out that this could be necessary in the (near) future.

Given school autonomy in VET, it is not surprising there is no overview of digital initiatives at school level. From the examples presented in this article we can learn that initiatives take many forms, having in common -not surprisingly- that they try to bring local educational practice to the next (technological) level. When using words like ‘break through’, it is more in terms of breaking through long standing traditions than in launching integrated innovative digital concepts of teaching and learning. Maybe also because VET teachers might find themselves in the position of the proverbial Turkey being consulted for the next Christmas dinner menu. Anyhow, this report supports the DESI 2019 observation of the difficulty of adapting education policies to the complex challenges posed by the digital transformation (See paragraph 1.1).

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Abbreviations and acronyms AI artificial intelligence CMMBO commissie macrodoelmatigheid middelbaar beroepsonderwijs DESI digital economy and society index EZ (ministerie van) economische zaken HAVO hoger algemeen vormend onderwijs HBO hoger beroepsonderwijs HE higher education ICT informatie en communicatie technologie MBO middelbaar beroepsonderwijs OCW (ministerie van) onderwijs, cultuur en wetenschappen TNO nederlandse organisatie voor toegepast natuurwetenschappelijk

onderzoek SBB samenwerking beroepsonderwijs bedrijfsleven UWV uitvoeringsinstituut werknemersverzekeringen VET vocational education and training VMBO voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs VWO voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs WRR wetenschappelijke raad regeringsbeleid WO wetenschappelijk onderwijs

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