Issue Vocational skills in demand but undervalued

Summary

The report expects practically trained workers to remain central to construction, care and education. The Netherlands currently lacks skilled trades people at many education levels and in many sectors, with shortages most visible in care, education and technical fields. Demand for practically trained staff is also high across a wide range of technical and service occupations. Even so, parents and pupils keep ranking theoretical tracks such as havo and vwo above vocational education, a social pressure that shows little sign of easing. Vocational graduates and other workers feel their voice goes unheard and sense that politics does not serve them. The report links this perception to diverging welfare between education groups and to wider tensions in society.