Talent gap, or lack of skilled labourers, is one of the biggest challenges faced by the ICT industry. There is an acute shortage of skilled people in this space and while hiring people from abroad and upskilling local talent pool are all tools in bridging the gap, more talent pools can always be explored. One solution that could truly solve this challenge is hiring secondary vocational education (MBO) students.
Secondary vocational education (MBO) is a programme offered by the Dutch education system that prepares students for a wide range of occupations. These courses can take up to four years and more than 700 vocational courses are offered in the Netherlands.
As MBO gains prominence, there is also a need for these students to be in the same room as their future employers. In order to accomplish this, House of Digital has partnered with MBO College Zuidoost of ROC van Amsterdam and Cryptotakkies to organise IT Conferentie on November 3 as the first IT conference for MBO students.
Lack of organised labour market for MBO students
The idea of IT Conferentie stems from the fact that there is a lack of organised labour market for MBO students. “At this moment, there is a large shortage of workers in the society and we could make up for this shortage by deploying many more MBO graduates,” says Raoul Esseboom, founder of Cryptotakkies.
Ton Paffen, Director of House of Digital, says that there is more attention being given to MBO students right now and thus is the right time to organise an event like IT Conferentie.
“Little is organised especially for MBO students and the labour market has also made little effort to get to know and experience the MBO students and their competencies,” adds Paffen.
Both Esseboom and Paffen see the need to close the gap between the MBO students and the labour market. Through IT Conferentie in Amsterdam, they aim to shine a light on MBO students and their competency in an ICT industry stretched thin on talented resources.
Bas Beekman, Director of StartupAmsterdam, says “Due to the talent gap in the local tech ecosystem, it is more than essential to support initiatives like the IT Conferentie MBO. Tech companies and the ecosystem as a whole need to recognise the value and potential MBO students represent.”
Empowering MBO students
In Amsterdam’s daily newspaper Het Parool, Paul van Lange and Sem Slewe recently wrote about the contribution made by MBO students to the Dutch society. At the conference, Esseboom and Paffen say the MBO students will finally get the recognition they deserve.
With more than 60 per cent of the working population consisting of graduated MBO students, it is a shame that their work is not yet recognised in the ICT sector. The real goal for IT Conferentie will be to change this status quo around MBO students and make them widely recognised as a skilled workforce.
The IT Conferentie will do this by organising various sessions where Dutch companies will be able to pitch their organisation to a large number of MBO students participating in the conference. There will be speed dates between students and companies where MBO students will gain an internship or actual position.
During the speed dates, the companies will get the opportunity to pitch themselves in front of an audience full of MBO students for four minutes. After the speed date, their first contact will be made and then MBO students will get to choose their own internship destination.
“They will learn how best to take action in the accompanying workshop on the theme of social investing,” says Paffen.
Companies participating in this conference will get first-hand knowledge of the MBO students and their ability to close the labour shortage. The IT Conferentie will also see workshops on the themes of knowledge investing, financial investing, and social investing. If you are looking to find MBO interns, contact Raoul Esseboom to participate in the IT Conferentie on November 3.
“We encourage tech companies to take an active role in connecting with the MBO students and come speed date with their potential interns at the IT Conferentie MBO on November 3rd. StartupAmsterdam wholeheartedly supports House of Digital, ROC van Amsterdam and Cryptotakkies in their ambition to ensure that young people have a good start in their careers and the local labour market,” adds Beekman.
Talent of the future
“MBO is the talent of the future,” says Esseboom as he explains how getting to know MBO students at an early stage will benefit companies looking to close the labour shortage affecting the ICT industry.
A research by the Expertise Centre for Vocational Education has shown that specialist trained MBO professionals have the best job opportunities in the market right now. With the rapidly changing world demanding new skills, the research shows how being active in the field will benefit these MBO students.
With many students set to start their internship from February, the IT Conferentie comes at an opportune moment for both MBO students as well as companies looking to hire them.
All the companies participating in IT Conferentie will get immediate access to a talent pool of MBO students. This will allow them to not only fill their internship positions but also scout for talent who can grow with the success of the organisation.
“In addition, if they maintain close contact with the ROC of Amsterdam, they can also influence the curriculum,” he adds.
Is your company looking for interns? Contact Raoul to take part in the IT Conferentie on November 3.