Young people who leave the province for study and work have been a problem for years. But with the aging population and staff shortages, it is two to twelve, say educational institutions.
That is why Vista College, Zuyd Hogeschool and Maastricht University invited education minister Robbert Dijkgraaf to discuss the problem.
At a Zuyd school in Maastricht, students and professorships showed how they train young talent for the Limburg of the future: sustainable healthcare technology, artificial intelligence and Chemelot’s energy transition.
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Companies increasingly crave well-trained staff. But that is getting rarer. With the increasing aging of the population and 1,500 young people who leave the province every year, the future of education is at stake. The solution? More English-language studies to attract young talent to Limburg and even closer cooperation with companies in the region. “Our students thus develop a bond with the region. They get to know the companies and they get to know them. That keeps them here,” says Luc Verburgh, chairman of the board of Zuyd University of Applied Sciences.
Help from The Hague
Money is needed to pay for the courses while the number of paying students is decreasing. Dijkgraaf, in turn, says that The Hague is also willing to help with this. “I take the worrying voices from the province about the shrinkage very seriously. Especially for a region like Limburg, where the international dimension is also important. Limburg is important not only for the Netherlands, but also for the whole of Europe.”
Also read: ‘The central government must come up with a delta plan for shrinking regions’
Other student cities
One of the students who will talk about his studies during the minister’s visit is Mitch Steegmans from Heerlerheide. He chose to study accountancy in Sittard. After this, he prefers to continue on to university in Maastricht. “I want to stay in the region. Even when I go to work. I even did an MBO first and see that people with whom I was at school at the time often stayed in Limburg. Especially those who have completed pre-university education and had to choose a university, left for Amsterdam or Nijmegen, for example. I think because the sectors they choose have more impact there.”
Fewer transferees
In addition to the fact that young people do not opt for Limburg, the flow of students from MBO to HBO is also decreasing. For example, because they no longer need the extra diploma for a good job. “In ICT, for example. They can get started right away and get a lease car.”