Country Mapping – The Netherlands Mapping cooperation mechanisms in the Netherlands between employers and vocational education and training providers in the ICT sector Ron Reeuwijk Nijmegen, The Netherlands 2014 Mutual Learning on Skills for the ICT Labour Market for People with Disabilities This publication is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity – PROGRESS (2007-2013). The information contained in this publication does not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission.
Transcript
Country Mapping – The Netherlands
Mapping cooperation mechanisms in the Netherlands between employers and vocational education and
training providers in the ICT sector
Ron Reeuwijk
Nijmegen, The Netherlands 2014
Mutual Learning on Skills for the ICT Labour
Market for People with Disabilities
This publication is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and
Social Solidarity – PROGRESS (2007-2013). The information contained in this publication
does not necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission.
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Table of contents
I. Mapping cooperation practices in the Netherlands ............................................ 3
1. Contextual information ...................................................................................... 3
2. VET services provided by Pluryn REA College................................................. 7
3. The ICT labour market ..................................................................................... 11
4. Description of existing cooperation and results ........................................... 13
5. Gaps, barriers and suggestions for improvements ......................................... 19
6. Conclusions and lessons learned ................................................................... 20
II. Case studies: selection of good practices in the Netherlands ....................... 22
1. Case study 1: IT-Students with autism in VET – The Structured classroom ... 22
2. Case study 2: The new REA-College VET course Application
developer..…………………………………………………………………………….. 25
3. Case study 3: Keeping the job ........................................................................ 28
4. Case study 4: Success stories from students at Pluryn REA College
according to their employers .............................................................................. 31
2. Case study 2: The new REA-College VET course Application developer - cooperation with IT-employers
Analysis ICT labour market: development job vacancies
In December 2013 ICT teachers from Pluryn REA College checked the actual demand for IT staff
in different sectors of work (administration against development), looking at two key job application
sites: the National Vacancies site and Monsterboard. We have structured the results of this
research and displayed them in the table and related graphs below.
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Trend
From the results it is clear that there is a larger demand on the ‘development’ side than there is on
the ‘IT administration’ side. The results of both job vacancy sites may not be fully representative for
all the IT jobs in the Netherlands. Howeverthe same trend was previously mentioned in a
publication from the ‘Automation Guide’. According to knowledge centre ECABO, this stated that in
2011 there were more job vacancies for ICT administrators (level 4) than there were for
‘developers’.
Regional developments
Is this country-wide trend also present in regional job vacancies? For this we made a similar
survey for a part of the northern region, consisting of a radius of 80 kilometres around the city of
Groningen. The results of this are detailed below.
Top 8
These regional graphics show almost the same tendency which we saw in the nation-wide data:
the ‘top 8’ consist of job vacancies that are related to ‘development’, and ‘IT administration’ job
vacancies are a minority.
We also see that ‘mobile development’ is still somewhat behind, but according to expectations this
business will develop very fast.
What can the ‘new IT specialist’ expect?
Additional developments other than ‘development’: not only is development work increasing, but
other developments are also becoming more important:
- an ongoing development of Social Media
- the rise and further integration of Cloud Computing and Virtualization
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- IT-security and privacy
- ‘Bring your own device’ or 'everything is on the internet'
The ‘new IT-professional’ will certainly be confronted with parts of the above-mentioned
developments. Thanks to the wide overlap in these developments, the new IT-professional has to
have a broad area of interest, and not purely be a specialist in one development.
The vocational training course ‘application developer’
Pluryn REA College started this training course on 14th January 2014 with 4 students. It offers
options towards becoming either a ‘Front-end developer’ and/or a ‘App developer’.
This vocational training course differs from the ICT administrator coursein the sense that there is
early involvement of the (possible future) employer. The first apprenticeship will already be
organized after some months.
While the ‘contours’ of the training course are fixed, one can deviate when an employer needs
additional knowledge of, for instance a certain programme language or development platform.
Below is a scheme of this training course. As mentioned above, it is already in a pilot phase.
How-to: What advice and guidelines would you provide to someone who would like to establish a similar practice?
Although this new ICT training programme is not yet fully established and many factors that make
this initiative promising are still in the planning phase, it is important to realise that an early
involvement of ICT business can make the individual training content ‘small and deep’ instead of
‘broad and general’. If this content is in the comfort zone of the student with autism, we have a
vocational training programme in which their being ‘special’ is no longer a disadvantage but could
in fact be an advantage to some degree.
Evaluation: What makes it a best practice in your view?
If this training programme is successful in providing training content that is of positive interest for
the individual student as well as valuable for an ICT business, than we can talk about a good
match and a promising start to a professional career.
Contact details: Pluryn REA College; Ron Reeuwijk.
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3. Case study 3: Keeping the job
A training programme for people with disabilities (ex-trainees now in employment) facing
challenges in their (first) job.
Preface
In 2001, the Coronel Institute for Occupational Health began a research programme for employees
suffering from various chronic conditions, looking at their perception of work and the problems they
experience as a result of their condition. The idea then arose to develop a concept for
occupational support that would help people with a chronic condition face their problems, with a
view to keeping their job. A pilot course was developed implemented together with the Arbo Unie
OH&S service. Based on these experiences, the course was improved and, from late 2006, further
implemented in conjunction with Arbo Unie Amsterdam.
In 2012, as part of the international ‘We empower uS bH’ Leonardo project (in which new support
concepts in Vocational Education and Training, labour and mediation were developed for
youngsters with spina bifida and/or hydrocephalus), this course was modified once more and
developed into the self-management course: ‘Keeping the Job’.
1. Background and goals
A disability can cause major changes in a person’s life. Physical symptoms, pain and fatigue can
affect daily performance. Negative thoughts about oneself, reactions from the outside world and
possible dependence on those around you influence the way people interact with others. For
people with a disability this requires a certain level of self-reflection: who or what am I? What do I
want? What am I capable of? And how do I interact with others?
A disability can have far-reaching consequences in the workplace too. Sometimes physical
limitations can prevent someone from performing certain duties for extended periods (or
performing them at all). It is possible to have more trouble with a disability at work or even as a
result of work. Medical treatment can also make demands that conflict with work. Whereas
ordinary employees occasionally experience difficulties relating to the demands of their job and
suffer from work-related stress, employees with a disability may have twice as much reason to feel
stressed. The disability itself, or the difficulties experienced at work, can result in fatigue, a lower
level of enjoyment at work, frequent or prolonged absence due to illness or even incapacity to
work.
In the Netherlands over the past couple of years, a lot of attention has been paid to employment
reintegration of people with a disability, or to the support they can be given to aid their return to
employment. The training course ‘Keeping the Job’, however, is aimed at exactly that: keeping a
job, based on the notion that keeping a job is easier than finding a new one.
The starting point of the training course is that some of the problems people experience at work
can be solved by physical or organisational work adaptations. This requires people to be aware of
the problems they face, and to know which solutions might be available. It is also important that
they are able to raise these solutions for discussion. Awareness of how communication works and
reflection on their own role in the interactions with co-workers and managers can make this easier.
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The guiding principles in the training course are: investigating which problems exist, making these
a subject of discussion and coming up with solutions. In this investigation, the ‘Quality of Work’
model is a tool intended to help clarify these matters. This model, here referred to as the ‘work
model’, names factors that influence the quality of a person’s work. The course also covers issues
such as personal thoughts about one’s disability, and how you communicate about it. Throughout
the course, more and more attention will be paid to finding solutions.
If we look at the set-up of the training course it is evident that the employer has an important role
in the success of the training. The employer has to realise that this training is about real problems
at the workplace and that his/her positive attitude towards looking for solutions is an important
success factor in the training programme.
The main goals of the ‘Keeping the Job’ course are to stay in work and to increase job satisfaction.
The secondary goals are:
- investigating and clarifying the practical, psychological and social problems that employees
may encounter;
- gaining an understanding of how employees can influence their work situation;- improving
socially effective interaction with colleagues, managers, company doctors and others who
influence performance at work;
- developing solutions for various problems; and
- making the most of employment reintegration schemes.
These goals highlight the core topics of the course.
2. Course set-up, the course manual and the course book
For a successful 'keeping the job' training it is important to involve the employers in the
development of the actual content of the training course. This can be done in advance of the
training course or during the training itself.
2.1. Set-up of the course manual and course book
The course manual is intended for trainers, and the course book for participants.
The course book consists of seven chapters: one for each session. In each chapter an overview of
the theme and the programme for that session is first provided, followed by a short explanation of
what will be discussed in that session, and concluded by the homework assignments. The
appendices in the course book offer a more elaborate explanation of the theme for each session.
This can be read in advance, or after the session. Sometimes, extra background information or
examples of homework assignments have been added.
2.2 Set-up of the course
The guiding principle throughout the course is exploring which problems are encountered in the
workplace, raising these for discussion at work, and finding solutions. With each others' help,
participants will analyse their problems and possible solutions themselves. Analysing problems
using the quality of work model (the ‘work model’) is the main focus of the early course sessions.
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Next, attention is paid to the individual and his/her relationship with managers or colleagues.
Finally, solutions are discussed, for instance in the form of work or workplace adjustments. These
three elements recur throughout the course. Participants are expected to try to put these solutions
into practice themselves and to encourage the other participants to take action as well.
The course has been set up as a group course, in combination with three individual interviews.
The group part of the course is split up into six biweekly sessions of three hours each, and a
follow-up session that takes place two months after the sixth session. Each session has a central
theme. Prior to each session, homework assignments have to be completed. These consist of
analysing problems, situations and solutions, setting up meetings or reading theory. In each of the
group sessions, one or two participants’ quality of work model (see Session 1) is discussed.
In the group sessions, participants are intended to support and encourage each other, to exchange
experiences and to practise real-life situations. The result of discussing themes together is a
raised awareness of the participants’ own role in dealing with difficult situations, and of the fact that
they can learn specific skills to help them in these situations.
The group comprises eight participants, and the course is taught by a single trainer. In one of the
sessions a company doctor and an employment expert will be present as guest speakers, and a
part of two sessions will be devoted to role-play with an actor.
In addition to the group sessions there are three individual meetings with the trainer: the intake, an
interim interview and a follow-up interview at the end of the course, after the sixth session. These
last two meetings provide the trainer with the opportunity to give more personal feedback and
discuss specific, personal situations.
The trainer is expected to be qualified in the following areas: experience in supervising group
sessions, general knowledge of the implications of having a disability in terms of limitations in an
employment role and psycho-social consequences, knowledge in the field of labour and health, in
particular work-related stress and workload.
How-to: What advice and guidelines would you provide to someone who would like to establish a
similar practice?
This training course is originally developed for employees with chronic conditions. In a later phase
the training course is established anew for young people with physical disabilities who face
problems in their (first) job. It is important to choose the right training content depending on the
kind of disability and the capacity of the individual to analyse and solve problems at work.
Evaluation: What makes it a best practice in your view?
In the Dutch context many of the problems that occur in the first (six) months of a new job are dealt
with with the support of a job coach. The training programme provides the opportunity to work on
work-related problems, where a (small) group gives the participants the opportunity to support
each other in analysing and solving problems that often relate to their disability.
Contact details: Pluryn REA College; Ron Reeuwijk.
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4. Case study 4: Success stories from students at Pluryn REA College according to their employers
Introduction
Pluryn REA College conducts research into the experiences of former students that have found a
job and of their employers or managers. We want to ask the manager about their experiences with
this person and what made this a success. We also want to know what support from Pluryn REA
College is needed and what government regulations for this group are necessary.
1. The company
1.1 Practical questions: What business, what products or services?
1.2 About employees with a labour disability in the company:
How many employees with a labour disability does your company employ?
What kind of disability are we talking about?
What jobs do these people work in?
How did you come into contact with the former student from Pluryn REA College?
Apparently the combination of a small company; clear activities, a limited number of colleagues
and personal attention for these youngsters are important criteria for successful participation.
Experts from Pluryn REA College have an important role in establishing contact with the
employers.
2. Experiences with the former students from Pluryn REA College
2.1 Please tell us how things are going on the workplace.
What strikes us is that apparently there is a bond between employer and former student once they
have been successful in solving the teething problems. This appears to stimulate a stronger
commitment to go on.
2.2 I would like to present to you a number of employee competences: could you tell
whether these competences also apply to your employee?
Reliability, care, being able to and willing to collaborate, prepared to learn more, and flexibility are
without exception all mentioned in a positive way and appear to be important success factors.
Considering the nature of the disability of these former students this is certainly remarkable. Work
pace and independency seem more often to be points of attention and there individual solutions
are sought.
2.3 Were there capacities that needed additional training?
It is remarkable that the basic capacities mentioned here - basics Dutch language, basic English /
German language, elementary calculations, basic IT-capacities - appear to be less important than
basic professional know-how and professional capacities.
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2.4 Does the former student get additional support or are there work (place) adaptations?
Here one notices how much the extra support and/or the work (place) adaptation is customized.
Extra support is important at the start and becomes gradually less important. Both employer and
employee are in the process of working towards successfully finding the right adaptations.
2.5 Looking at the way thing are going: what did you do to make the labour integration
successful? Or: what is your ‘success formula’?
Intensive support and giving confidence, gradually leaving the student alone to do the work.
Give him the opportunity to be who he is. He has no special position in the company: he is
one of the boys and his colleagues do not know about his disability.
All the progress is a success. He is happy in his work. We try to make him feel at home in
our company. Much support and motivation for the things he does well. Explanation to the
staff how to work with him and why. Do not expect him to do everything.
Just do it; in which I focused on her capacities. Giving confidence and deserving this
confidence is important. Not especially looked for a success formula. There was the need for
a new colleague so the opportunity occurred. I look for qualities and potencies.
I have always addressed him in a positive but critical way in which a positive conclusion is
important. Besides that we have our small scale, the structured work tasks and extra
support. There was regular contact and control; he is challenged on his strong points so that
his self-confidence grew. The weak points were mentioned but as development items.
3. The support from Pluryn REA College
What support from Pluryn REA College is needed?
Here it is seen that employers think intensive support is very important. In this it is also important
to supply tailor-made solutions.
When we consider this former student: what is your opinion about the support from Pluryn
REA College?
The employers are content. It is noted as important to not give support if not necessary; they want
to get support from Pluryn REA College only when this is needed; not sooner.
4. Conditions for working with young people with disabilities
What government regulations are necessary?
(Wage dispensation; premium discounts; subsidy of the extra costs related to giving / keeping the
job; no-risk policy; work trials; wage subsidy)
Although employers state that these financial incentives are not the most important part, it is
evident that they use all the government regulations that help people with disabilities to get a job,
and so these regulations are important.
Can you think of other regulations necessary to keep these youngster at work?
Government shoud ensure that there is continuity in the facilities. Work (place) adaptations can
make the difference. Wage dispensation is important. Compensation of retraining costs would be
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welcome. The introduction of a quota system to force companies to employ more young people
with disabilities is for these employers not a good idea.
5. Considerations to employ young people with disabilities
How important is it in your opinion to employ young people with disabilities?
The central theme in this for employers is ‘giving opportunities’. This giving of opportunities
appears to be grounded in a personal and social conviction that people with disabilities have to be
included in society. Besides this, employers are also pragmatic: ‘we are entrepreneurs and the
company has to profit’.
6. Future opportunities
What qualifications or vocational training could provide extra opportunities in the labour
market for young people with disabilities?
The answers here tend to go in the direction of (more) know-how and more professional skills.
Sometimes there is a notion that certain disabilities are easily combined with a good professional
performance. Additional opportunities in the labour market for these youngsters arise by a good
alignment of government policy, education and work opportunities.
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Appendix
Description of the cooperation between VET training centre and VET employer: interview
with a former Pluryn REA College ICT student and his employer.
Personal data Age 25; Male;
ICT level 3 training course at Pluryn REA College: ICT Management Assistant.
Former education: preparatory VET (diploma);
Housing/living circumstances: Supported living.
Questions about the job The name of the company is WIFIMEDIA. I have worked here for 5 years; 38 hours a week over 5 days. I have a regular contract and my function is technical employee. I provide technical services and technical support. I support customers by telephone and mail during the RMA process; processing, receipts processing, shop sales when it is busy.
At the start I had fewer tasks than the others, but now I am versatile. In the beginning I was mainly handling the orders and technical analysing of malfunctioning equipment that was brought back. At that time I had no contact with customers, neither in the shop nor on the phone.
Once in three months my job coach drops in for a short visit. Because of the structured work process and a lot of experience I no longer need support. The first three/four years there was additional contact and support for the employer.
Opinions about the work Physical work is good for me; not behind a desk for the entire day. This is much variation in tasks: receipts, mail/phone contacts, technical proceedings, RMA, sales support. The job is physically not very demanding: you have to stand and lift things all day, but I have become stronger and now I am used to that. Mental workload: one has to be concentrated because one cannot make mistakes with orders. By now I am also used to this, and I know what is expected of me by the structure that is given to my work. As a result of this structure, I don’t have full work freedom, but I can ‘colour’ my work; in this you learn from one another. My contact with my employer is good: there are no problems. The contact with colleagues is also good: I can get along with everyone. The work atmosphere is good. I have a steady job so I don’t worry much about the future. There is of course the fact that we sell a luxury product and in the past period the business was more, and some of my colleagues have gone. One cannot be sure of anything nowadays. I am content about my wages; I am out of my disability pension because my wage value is now 100% and that is great. I have an ICT vocational education and the work that I do is somewhat below my capacities. I enjoy my work, but could do more. Even so, I can carry on and if necessary can do something extra. At this moment I have a job coach who visits me every three months. There is no more support. In the beginning there were weekly talks with a reduction to once a month. I have not needed extra support for some time now because I now know and master my work through and through. To say that my disability troubles me is too much. I was born with it and I have to live with it and make the best out of it. It is important for me that my work is well structured and within my area of interest. It is important for me that there is enough work. Doing nothing has a negative impact on my concentration and then I start making mistakes. This has now improved by self-training. To
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prevent possible mistakes there is a standardised control in my work structure. Working provides structure and satisfaction. I have an income and the work has brought me more social contacts.
The Employer’s view: an interview with his employer
The company
Consumer electronics.
Six employees: not part of a larger organisation.
This person has PDD-NOS (pervasive developmental disorder). He himself applied for the job. Later on, the labour expert from Pluryn REA College provided information about existing regulations/possibilities.
The experiences with this former student from Pluryn REA College It is going well now; but it needed some years to arrive where we now are. There is now a good contact between employer and employee. In the beginning there was a difficult period in which things almost went wrong. There were mistakes and frequent private internet use. From that time on, his work is frequently checked and structured and now for a year things have gone well. He now also answers the phone, calls customers and if necessary assists in the shop.
He is reliable; he has to bring in the systems of the customers and he is working on expensive devices. He is also careful and precise: one has to pay attention to what one sends to the customers and check the receipts/documents well. His work pace is fast but this is not really a necessity. His condition is good; he likes to work hard and cannot stand doing nothing. He is able to and wants to cooperate with others. He has in time become independent. He is willing to learn and because of frequent new technology this is important. Flexibility was not required but he is now flexible. He has become a loyal employee.
His basic ICT skills were good. He had to learn all the things every new employee has to learn: product knowledge, installing systems. The work he does is in his ‘comfort zone’.
I have always had a critical but positive attitude towards him in which a positive conclusion is important. Besides that, the small scale, the properly restricted workload and extra support have contributed positively. There was frequent contact and control; he was challenged on his strong points so that his self-confidence increased. His weak points were mentioned but more as development aspects.
Conditions for employing young people with disabilities There is a social responsibility of an employer to work with these young people. The employer employs a person with a disability and if this is not successful he can use the regulations concerning a termination of the labour contract. The financial regulations are not the most important items. It is good that providing opportunities can be done in cost-neutral circumstances. Other important regulations: dispensation of wages; premium discounts, No-risk policy, a trial job and a job coach.
Future opportunities ICT and autism are sometimes a good combination: screen-oriented and creative. On the other hand the contact with other people can be less positive: there can be a need for an extra layer in communication.
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The information contained in this publication does not necessarily reflect the position or
