More professionals choosing to teach in vocational education

The number of professionals moving into teaching roles in secondary vocational education (MBO) has doubled over the past decade, now exceeding 800 annually, according to the Inspectorate of Education. While this growth is encouraging, the Inspectorate emphasizes the need for better training and support for those transitioning from other careers.

The Inspectorate notes that many career changers need to strengthen their basic skills, such as language and math. Schools are also urged to more carefully evaluate whether candidates are suited for teaching and what training or guidance they require. There is also room for improvement in developing subject-specific teaching skills, though other areas are performing well.

Responsibility for improving the training and support of career changers rests with both the MBOs where they teach and the higher education institutions that provide their teacher education.

A 2024 study by Pointer found that many career changers feel their training is overly demanding, insufficiently personalized, and poorly supported. Participants reported that the programs often fail to build on their existing knowledge and experience, resulting in dissatisfaction with both the content and structure of the courses.

Amsterdam has even established an urban guidance pool comprising of 120 coaches from local school boards to help solve the issue. This peer and learning network focuses on improving the recruitment, mentoring, and retention of career changers. A central service, 1Loket, also provides a point of contact for those entering the profession.