Cabinet allocates extra money for MBO
Secondary vocational education will receive an extra 367 million euros over the next five years to promote equality of opportunity, a better connection to the labor market and for quality, research and innovation. In total, MBO will receive more than 4 billion euros up to and including 2027. A large part of this amount has already been announced.
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Before the summer, Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf already gave an overview of his ambitions for MBO, today he presented the government's commitment. “The equality of all students is paramount to me. We desperately need all forms and talents and they deserve the appreciation they deserve," said the minister.
De Deployment of work agenda MBO contains thirteen objectives with actions for the next five years. In order to offer students optimal opportunities, there must be excellence programmes, for example, level-2 students should receive more guidance and barriers between pre-vocational secondary education, senior secondary vocational education and higher vocational education must be removed.
Internship discrimination
'Tackling internship discrimination is a top priority for me, both for promoting equality of opportunity and for improving the connection between education and the labor market', the minister writes in his work agenda. An 'Internship Pact' must provide sufficient internships and the school will have an important role as matchmakers between company and student.
'We ensure that working in MBO is and remains attractive'
The twelfth objective is: 'We ensure that working in MBO is and remains attractive' and contains agreements about work pressure, career prospects and professionalisation. The minister wants to make concrete agreements with the sector so that 'education staff commit themselves permanently to MBO'. Each school will draw up an action plan on how they will use the money for this.
Career prospects
Within the existing 'Quality Agreements' instrument, the Minister sets a specific budget of 142 million euros per year for this purpose. “Good education starts with sufficient, qualified teachers. In the current tight labor market, this means, even more than usual, that MBO teachers must have the prospect of good career prospects," said the minister.
The extra money that the cabinet is allocating for MBO is called the AOb good news. "We naturally welcome the fact that the minister recognizes the importance of MBO as a sector and is making extra investments", says AObdirector Henrik de Moel. "We are going to take a good look at the announced plans, especially those about MBO as an attractive employer, and concretise them where possible. The money must end up in the right place in the right way. We hope that, for example, national agreements will be made about the number of LB -, LC and LD functions on the settings.”
The new investments (367 million) with the existing resources for the quality agreements (528 million) amount to a total of 895 million euros per year. The House of Representatives will discuss the stake on 9 November.
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