News item | 26-10-2023 | 08:00
A starting qualification offers young people the best chances for a promising future. Yet many young people still leave their secondary vocational education without a diploma. Minister Dijkgraaf (Education) is therefore taking action to significantly reduce the number of early school leavers. Part of the package of measures includes better access to support and make education more attractive for young people who want to learn in practice. This should prevent ‘green picking’. The measures are included in the Action Plan for Early School Leavers that the minister is sending to Parliament today.
More challenging work, more social security and better career opportunities: young people have the best chances for a promising future with a starting qualification (MBO-2, -3 or -4 diploma, HAVO or VWO). That is why it is important to reduce the number of early school leavers to less than 18,000 by 2026. By 2022, it had risen to 30,000 young people, mainly due to the corona years and a favorable labor market that led to many young people working without a diploma.
Minister Dijkgraaf: “A starting qualification is more than just a diploma. It offers young people the opportunity to develop, both in the workplace and in life. Every young person deserves that chance for a future full of personal growth. I am very concerned about the strong increase we have seen. With this plan we work together with regions, schools and employers to offer young people the support they need for a strong foundation. We cannot prevent all dropouts, but this action plan takes a big step towards fewer school dropouts. Young people want to continue learning and develop themselves; we have to help them with that.”
In the MBO Work Agenda from the beginning of this year, important steps have already been taken to reduce the number of early school leavers. In this way, career orientation and guidance is improved and students at MBO-2 receive extra attention and guidance. But the recent increase requires a national approach to reduce this number. With this action plan, Minister Dijkgraaf is therefore taking additional measures to support young people in obtaining their diploma.
Accessible support for students
Dijkgraaf is committed to measures to prevent MBO students from leaving their studies prematurely. It is about offering young people the help they need in time to obtain their starting qualifications. For example, the minister wants ‘help in school’ to become part of the various regional programs against early school leaving from the 2025-2026 academic year. In order for you to receive the help you need as a student, it is important to know exactly what help you can ask for. External help should be easily available to students. In addition, the minister wants an improved attendance approach for students over the age of 18 so that schools can respond more quickly to signals of absenteeism.
Learn more in practice
Many young people prefer to learn on the job itself. Dijkgraaf therefore wants to encourage practical learning, allowing young people to increase their knowledge and skills while working. This practical learning makes it possible to gradually train more people for sectors with employee shortages. In this way the minister wants to combat ‘green picking’.
Dijkgraaf also wants to make national agreements with at least six sectors or organizations to train young workers without a starting qualification. This means that young people without a diploma can follow a training course through their employer – and thus still obtain a starting qualification.
Support for regional programs
Reducing the number of early school leavers requires a national and regional approach, Minister Dijkgraaf emphasizes in his letter to Parliament. The minister will therefore actively support regions in setting up new regional programs, with extra attention to successful methods that support young people. In addition, a multi-year study will be launched to investigate effective interventions with the aim of strengthening knowledge exchange between regions.