16-year-old Joelle Verbaten was the center of the celebration at Praktijkcollege De Schakel on Thursday afternoon. The Haarlem student received congratulations from the minister of education. As the 10,000th student in the Netherlands, she received an SBB certificate: proof that she has passed the most important subjects at MBO level that match her work placement.
No, when Joelle Verbaten started at Praktijkcollege De Schakel, she did not expect that within a few years she would be sitting on a stage as a guest of honor next to the Minister of Education Paul. Learning was not her favorite hobby. She did know that she gets a lot of pleasure from taking care of people.
And now look, the confetti is falling on her. Joelle is honored in the auditorium of the school building because she is the 10,000th student to obtain the SBB certificate. She might want to continue studying, she says now. So that she can do her favorite work in the sector that is so close to her heart: elderly care.
She is already working. And that turned out to be the prelude to her career. Because at De Schakel Joelle combines her education with an apprenticeship in a Haarlem nursing home. “After a day of working with the elderly,” she says proudly, “I come home with energy.”
Part of the training completed
Joelle’s story is a great promotion for the Collaboration Organization for Vocational Education and Business (SBB). Because it is an example of how vocational education and business together give young people a head start for a new career.
If the student goes well with learning in practice and they discover where their talents lie, it is a way to obtain a certificate at MBO level. Anyone who obtains the SBB certificate has completed part of the training that is directly related to the intended job.
Director Wouter Vreeke is proud of every SBB certificate that De Schakel awards. “What we find important here is that students are not just in school, but that they are also really prepared to participate in society. Through collaboration with companies and social organizations in Haarlem, students can immediately contribute.”
This is also evident in the auditorium. Students from De Schakel move between the minister of education, the alderman, the school director and proud parents. They have prepared savory snacks in the adjacent kitchen and are serving them to those present. Shortly after the ceremony, Joelle also dutifully walks around with a bowl of snacks.
Nursing home
She also presents it to Bas van Leeuwen. The councilor for education in Haarlem knows from personal experience how essential practical education is for the city. “My parents are in need of care and now live in a nursing home. I see that we need this young generation to maintain that.”
And so there is a chance that Joelle and the councilor will not meet in passing for the last time today.