International Mobility

The European Union's target of having at least six percent of all VET graduates in the EU participating in an internship or study abroad has been amply achieved by the Netherlands. Between 2015 and 2020, the share of VET students who spent at least two weeks abroad for study or work placement increased to eight percent. This makes the score of the Dutch VET sector as one of the best in the European Union. MBO Raad however is aiming for ten percent by 2025, in order to further increase employability in the international labour market and to give as many students as possible the opportunity to gain experience abroad.

Erasmus+

Erasmus+ is the European funding programme for all education sectors, youth and sports. The idea behind it is that people can continuously develop themselves to get more out of themselves. The programme wants to stimulate international orientation and cooperation and thus strengthen the competitiveness of the European economy in the world. This is done, among other things, by:

  1. Encouraging the exchange of students and teachers;
  2. Increasing international cooperation between education, the business community and the government;
  3. Enabling more alignment of policy and knowledge on education at a European- or even a global level.
  4. Striving towards a European Education Area, in which qualifications of the Member States are mutually recognised.

Cooperation outside Europe

Dutch VET schools also cooperate with other countries beyond the borders of the European Union. This happens, for instance, in green skills or agricultural education, where VET schools have been training Chinese students in the green sector for many years. Another example is the exchange of teachers between Dutch VET schools and colleges in the United States.