In the autumn of 2005, during a consultation between the government and the social partners, the union federations highlighted the lack of training opportunities for young people with a low level of education. The government and employers both agreed that the issue requires greater attention, and hence a new budget to tackle the problem was made available. Research has shown that effective coaching during on-the-job training and greater company investment in training will help to improve the situation for low-skilled workers.
In the course of the consultation between the government and the social partners in the autumn of 2005, the Dutch Trade Union Federation (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV) decided to place the issue of training opportunities for young people with a low level of education at the top of their agenda. The largest party in the coalition government, the Christian Democratic Party (Christen Democratisch Appèl, CDA), has recognised the consequences of unemployment and the lack of opportunities for young people having only a basic level of education and has publicly stated that this basic injustice marginalises a substantial proportion of the younger population.
Unemployment trends among young people
Currently, half of the 38,000 young people aged under 23 years in the Netherlands who are registered as being out of work at the Centre for Work and Income (Centrum voor Werk en Inkomen, CWI) have no educational qualifications. In addition, about another 35,000 young people are unemployed but are not registered with CWI. In mid-2005, approximately 14% of all young Dutch people were unemployed, representing the highest rate to date, while the average unemployment rate of the population as a whole stood at half of that figure, at around 7%. It seems that the most disadvantaged group are young female migrants with a poor educational background: over 36% of people within this group are unemployed, according to the Central Statistical Office (Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek, CBS). These figures on youth unemployment are in sharp contrast to the predictions that the demand for labour will exceed supply in the near future. Against this background, improving opportunities for on-the-job training is one way to alleviate the situation. A significant bottleneck exists in the lack of on-the-job training as well as with regard to opportunities for traineeships.
Difficulties in finding work
In the spring of 2006, research confirmed the various problems faced by young people, in particular the gaining of work experience through traineeships. This issue appears to be a problem for all young people, regardless of educational background. Recent research by the Labour Inspectorate (Arbeidsinspectie, AI) has shown that employers do not offer young employees who are trying to combine working and learning the required two-year contract to complete an traineeship but instead only offer a six-month contract. As a result, proper training cannot be realistically followed or completed. Furthermore, it appears that employers, for example in electrotechnics, only offer a part-time contract to young workers. As a result, management only has to pay for a proportion of the weekly training costs. The problem of young employees being paid below the legal minimum wage is also widespread. Such an injustice is underlined when comparing the pay levels of these young employees with those of more highly educated and less qualified employees.
Lack of good training opportunities
Recent research, conducted by the Institute for Labour Studies (Organisatie voor Strategisch Arbeidsmarktonderzoek, OSA), demonstrates substantial discrepancies in training opportunities available to workers. Between 2002 and 2004, 50% of higher educated employees attended training courses. Only 18% of employees with a primary school education received training compared with 28% of employees with a secondary school certificate.
Schools, too, are partly responsible for these inequalities. According to a 2006 study conducted by the Platform for Vocational Training, the standard of training in schools could be improved. The research results identified unmotivated pupils, high early dropout rates and dissatisfied employers as problematic issues in the vocational training institutes. In practice, on-the-job training is an essential part of learning in this type of education.
Nonetheless, some positive experiences are also reported. For example, in one school, much effort is being put into coaching, involving both the traineeship supervisor and the teacher. This combination has been recommended to other schools. Improvements are also expected through agreements between the Confederation of Netherlands Industry and Employers (VNO-NCW) and the Council for Higher Vocational Training (HBO-raad) on how financial responsibilities should be divided. It is clear that employers should not be expected to pay extra for the work that the trainee has carried out during a work placement. Furthermore, it is prohibited for employers to force students to pay for such placements or coaching. In such agreements, temporary work agencies are considered an undesirable solution.
Raising profile of trainees
Another positive factor is the level of cooperation with companies. The Amsterdam Regional Community College (Regionaal Opleidingscentrum van Amsterdam, ROCvA) works with a variety of large enterprises. One of these companies, a large media organisation, reacted to news reports that vocational training was beginning to develop a negative reputation. The Society for Innovative Training was subsequently set up, in cooperation with the ROCvA. In many companies, teams of trainees now conduct innovative projects. Trainees no longer regard their contribution in the workplace as worthless, while the company has its own interest in their work. For example, at KPN Multimedia, a team of trainees will deal with the technical problems concerning television and the internet. In general, young employees at KPN are put to work on innovative tasks. In this way, management may discover future talents for the benefit of the company. The predicted labour shortages will also affect other participating companies that are connected with the hotel and catering industry, the care sector and the technology sector.
Marianne Grünell, Hugo Sinzheimer Institute (HSI)