One in ten vocational students faces internship discrimination, survey shows

One in ten vocational education students in a work-based learning track experiences discrimination when looking for an internship or during the internship itself, according to the Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and the 2024 School Leavers Survey. Discrimination based on appearance, skin color, origin, or religion occurs most frequently.

Among students, 3.4 percent suspected they were discriminated against because of their appearance or skin color, followed by 2.7 percent citing origin and 2.6 percent citing religion. The least reported reasons were disability or chronic illness, sexual orientation, and political beliefs.

Internship discrimination was most common among graduates with a non-European background: 23 percent of those born in the Netherlands to one or two non-European parents, and 22 percent of students born outside Europe, reported discrimination. By contrast, only 5 percent of students born in the Netherlands to Dutch-born parents experienced discrimination during their internships.

Among those who experienced internship discrimination, only 6 percent formally reported it. A total of 42 percent took no further action, while the majority shared their experiences with family members, teachers, or internship supervisors.

These statistics come from the 2024 School Leavers Survey, which questioned MBO graduates, high school graduates, and early school leavers from the 2022-2023 academic year.

Questions on internship discrimination were posed to students who completed or participated in a work-based vocational program (BOL). Students in the work-guided track (BBL) were excluded because they are employed by a company during their studies and do not need to apply for internships.