The figures show that most school dropouts occur in secondary vocational education. Hielke ter Veld, general director of the Den Helder secondary school community Scholen aan Zee, also recognizes this: “For us, most early school dropouts occur at our school location Villa aan Zee, where underage refugees are taught.”
But not only refugees leave school without a diploma: it is also a problem in the underprivileged neighborhoods of Den Helder. The problems are passed on from generation to generation, there is often domestic violence, divorce and poverty.
Many vulnerable young people
“The majority of dropouts occur in secondary vocational education, especially within entrance courses and level 2. This is where relatively many young people are vulnerable due to, for example, debts, psychological problems, a difficult home situation, language deficiencies or uncertainty about their future,” says compulsory education coordinator Ellen de Graaf of the Kop van Noord-Holland region.
“Young people from practical education, secondary special education and newcomer education also often need extra support when transitioning to further education or work,” she continues. “It is often not about unwillingness, but about young people who get stuck because problems are piling up.”
Vulnerable social circumstances
De Graaf: “Young people usually drop out not because of one event, but because several problems occur at the same time. Think of mental pressure, financial worries, little structure at home, wrong study choices or lack of prospects for work. Absenteeism also sometimes only becomes apparent late, which means that guidance is initiated too late.”
“In Den Helder, it is also a factor that some young people grow up in vulnerable socio-economic circumstances and are less likely to see examples of successful school or career paths around them.”
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