Four million euros for strengthening technical education in middle-class Brabant

Ministry of Education honors application

A country-wide budget of 100 million is available for the years 2020-2024. Minister Slob (education): "The labour market is eagerly awaiting well-trained technical personnel. The plans that VMBO schools, MBOs and the business community have made together are ambitious and that is also necessary. The enthusiasm is shattering."

As of January 2020, the financial resources can be used to strengthen VMBO education in Central Brabant. Due to the broad plan - supported by the business community and education - full of structural and sustainable initiatives and projects, the committee, which distributes the STO funds, has gained so much confidence in the feasibility that the funds are allocated.

Midden-Brabant focuses on reducing the technology profile in pre-vocational secondary education and in particular on concentrating it on one location in Midden-Brabant, namely Campus013 in Tilburg (Stappegoor). This will make Campus013 the technical school, without, however, detracting from the existing educational offer. It's coming up. Together with the adjacent ROC, Campus013 will set up a technology route. In such a way that all young people will have the opportunity to opt for technology and that a single route will be created for further education at the ROC.

Photo: Jostijn Lay-foot Photography

Plan Strong Technique Education Middle-Brabant

There are several educational organizations affiliated to plan strong technology education Midden-Brabant. These are: Campus013 (Tilburg), Mill Hill College (Goirle), Cambreur College (Dongen), 2College Durendael (Oisterwijk), Willem 2 College (Tilburg), Van Haestrecht College (Kaatsheuvel), Reeshof College (Tilburg), Beatrix College (Tilburg), 2College Cobbenhagenmavo (Tilburg), the technical study programmes of the ROC Tilburg and the TprimaiR education cooperative (Primary education).

On Campus013, in collaboration with ROC Tilburg, a Technology Route will be realised in which young people from secondary education can enter the technical courses on the superstructure. This education will then be carried out in the technical workshops of the ROC Tilburg. This means centralising technical education in the region and guaranteeing technical (pre-vocational secondary vocational) education in the region, in times of high and low economic activity. All secondary schools ensure that in the first and second years of secondary education, young people structurally (i.e. not just once) within their so-called Career Orientation and Guidance Programme (LOB) will gain a lot of experience with technology through, among other things, taster traineeships, guest lectures and company visits, or interesting technical assignments and practical lessons within the education sector. For this purpose, rooms in schools are technically equipped. In addition, an address and contact database will be used to make simple contact with relevant companies, making this easier to achieve.

The schools with a basic and framework-oriented training will provide several technical electives within the selection profile "Services and products". This will make it easier for young people who are still hesitant about opting for technology to become acquainted with technology via these optional courses. In this way, we will achieve an increasing flow to the technical training courses of the ROC. Schools with vmbo-t-specific training will integrate the subject of Technology and Application in their education. This will make it possible to lower the threshold to a technical secondary vocational education from vmbo-T. This will also make it easier for schools with a technical secondary vocational education to take advantage of the opportunities offered by vmbo-T. Structural activities are being set up within HAVO/VWO schools to make young people enthusiastic about studying at the teacher training college for technical and STEM subjects. The aim is to tackle the future shortage of teachers in engineering and science subjects.

To support Primary and Secondary Education schools, the Discover Station013 (in addition to Leisure activities) will be further developed into a practical and development centre for technology education for the entire region. Structural activities will be set up between primary education, secondary education and vocational education, so that young people can become acquainted with technical further education at an early stage and this threshold will also be lowered significantly. Various courses/workshops/courses will ensure the necessary professionalisation of teachers and technicians.

Every child in his or her education in contact with technology

Everything is aimed at ensuring that every child in his or her education comes into contact with technology a number of times, from basic to MBO. The majority of the requested subsidy is needed to change the structure of the schools to accommodate the new technology on offer. This will involve many hours of teaching. In order to support the change process, existing teachers (team leaders) will be offered a two-year Master's programme aimed at innovation and the development and anchoring of knowledge. They take on the role of change for their school, as it were. Ultimately, the plan should result in a single digital environment for technology and technology promotion for children and parents, as well as for teachers and the business community.