Schools still too often play it safe for optional parts of secondary vocational education
The optional components in MBO should be the plus on qualification, but it is not that far yet. They cause logistical and organizational headaches and so schools often still play it safe.
Picture: Nina Maissouradze
Respond more quickly to the regional labor market and the student's freedom of choice. That is what MBO has in mind with the optional components. Since August 2016, MBO has a new qualification structure. In addition to a basic and profile part, each course consists of 15 percent optional parts.
These should be 'the plus on the qualification', but above all they still cause 'a lot of headaches', according to the evaluation measurement 2017. This is a huge organizational and logistical operation, in which scheduling, staffing and administrative processing are bottlenecks. to be. The interpretation of the optional components also demands a lot from the teachers, both in terms of time and expertise. “Too little time has been taken for proper implementation,” he says AObdriver Tamar van Gelder. "In secondary vocational education it is permanent renovation with the tent open, with the result that schools often go for safe."
Dissatisfied
This is also evident from the third report Monitor optional components from February. Of the 830 electives that have now been approved, the generic ones are particularly popular, such as digital skills, entrepreneurial behavior or higher vocational education. Schools often offer 'configurations': programs of fixed optional parts. “This makes it easier to organize education, but the student has no real freedom of choice,” says Van Gelder. "By mainly offering generic optional components, you also fail to meet the needs of the region."
By mainly offering generic electives, you do not meet the needs of the region.
Students are often dissatisfied with the optional components, according to a survey by the Youth Organization for Professional Education (Job) among 125 participants. Roosmarijn Dam, Job chairman and student at Landstede in Zwolle: “Sometimes there is little choice and sometimes there is a choice, but the quality leaves much to be desired. A good evaluation of how optional components can be improved and how to really give teachers time for this is therefore very important. Especially because, just like the minors in higher professional education, they can work fantastically. For my beauty care course you could motivate students to do level 4 with extra optional parts. Now there is only the choice 'specialist in skin improvement', but not everyone wants to squeeze pimples. ”
Spotless
“With optional components you can make the program just that little bit more specific”, agrees Manon Toonen, teacher of Dutch and math. The care course of Roc van Twente now offers four optional parts: digital skills for advanced students and intercultural diversity in the first year and care & technology and expressive talent in the second year. “Because all reports are done digitally, many employers, for example, would like people who are skilled at this. And intercultural diversity is aimed at care recipients with a different cultural background. ” A nice addition, you would think, but students are not yet happy. According to Toonen, they do not feel that they have enough choice, and they also find it difficult to make a choice. The course will gradually expand the range of optional components.
There are ROCs that immediately offer the optional components MBO-wide. For example, Friesland College cleared the timetable for this on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Students can choose from thirty generic options, such as responding to innovation, leadership or entrepreneurship. In addition, students can also choose from seventy profession-specific electives. They can choose anything, also at other locations, provided that the optional part contributes to their labor market or career prospects and it can be organized in terms of timetable. Not everything is going smoothly, "but this does justice to what students and the labor market need," says Marcel Keizer, teacher of Spanish and English. “Spanish is one of the most popular options, which is a huge boost for our profession. With three teachers we teach a group of a maximum of sixty students, who differ in level and education. Sometimes it is a matter of finding the right form to get them all to learn. ”
With three teachers, we teach a group of up to sixty students, who differ in level and education. It is sometimes a search for the right form to get them all to learn.
The students start and finish with their regular teacher and work independently on assignments during four hours. Keizer has written these in such a way that they can be applied in any professional context, such as 'show a Spanish colleague around'. "Students really like it, but some misunderstand what is involved in learning a new language."
There are more barriers. “The administrative system is not yet adequate,” says Keizer, who is also a member of the Works Council. “It is a challenge to write down the results of students from different study programs and to ensure that students get where they want. It also requires the necessary adjustments from teachers. Some teams did not have the qualification files in order yet. Now that we are working on the third round, everything is already more structured and you see more study programs developing their own optional components. ”
Bump
The examination turned out to be such a problem that it was recently postponed for two years. Only from the 2020-2021 school year do the optional components fully count towards the diploma. A pity, say both teachers Marcel Keizer and Manon Toonen, who already have the examinations for their optional components in order. Keizer: “I explain that Spanish will be included on your diploma if you pass it and that you have an advantage with employers. But many students think: It's going to be something, because it doesn't count anyway. ”
I explain that Spanish will be on the diploma if you pass it and that you then have a pre with employers. But many students think: It's okay, because it doesn't count anyway.
Another obstacle is the introduction of optional components in BBL programs, in which students work four days and go to school one day a week. That one day of supervised teaching time is already packed with theory and the student is at work in the practical training. “But there in particular I see opportunities for the optional component,” says Ghislaine Hoenderboom, training manager at Koninklijke Hibin, the trade association for building materials trade. With the optional part 'Commercial
technical building consultancy 'which can offer commercial training courses at levels-3 and -4, the organization hopes to counter the shortage of personnel. Hoenderboom: “Our companies are eager for sellers who know something about construction. With our optional part, a roc has few concerns. It is a ready-to-use package including exam and certificates, which students can take independently online under our guidance. Now that ROCs are getting the organization in order, I see interest growing. I get questions from schools and companies whether a student can take this optional part. That is therefore very well possible in practical training, where companies pay the costs of their possible future employee themselves. ”
Faster and shorter
Study programs may only offer optional components that are linked to the qualification file. According to many schools, this stands in the way of a flexible educational offer and it is also quite a challenge to complete a link. “This procedure sometimes takes eight months and must therefore be much faster and shorter,” says Tamar van Gelder, who is also on the SBB board, the organization in which vocational education and the business community work together and which determines the optional components. “Experiments are underway, such as crossover qualifications, with which we look at how we can arrive at a structure that suits the needs. Not everything has to be turned upside down for that. "
There are opportunities at every level, Van Gelder thinks, including at team level. “As a team you have many more rights than is sometimes experienced. Think about what good education is that fits the qualification file and take the time necessary to develop it. That time is there and you can enforce it if necessary. You are not just a teacher, you are the linchpin of the organization. By propagating that, education improves and job satisfaction increases. ”
