One of the foundations of the Dutch economy is a well-educated workforce. However, due to major societal transitions and the changing labor market, education no longer stops at the completion of initial education. Lifelong Learning (LLO) has therefore been on the national agenda of education, government, and the business sector for some time. However, the current system of LLO faces four challenges. Firstly, there is insufficient visibility of the required knowledge and skills for the future. Secondly, there are inadequate opportunities to acquire these skills. Thirdly, the public educational institutions that can offer LLO are not adequately equipped for these challenges. Finally, the learning culture in the Netherlands is not sufficiently developed. In light of these challenges, the government has decided to approve the Growth Fund application for the National LLO-Catalyst.
The LLO-Catalyst is an initiative of vocational education, universities, and colleges to provide a necessary boost to lifelong learning (LLO), both nationally and in the regions. The goal of the LLO-Catalyst is to establish a self-sustaining LLO ecosystem in which organizations and professionals can effectively respond to the rapidly changing labor market and society. This should result in increased participation in LLO and contribute to strengthening economic growth.
The role of the LLO Catalyst is to initiate and coordinate collaboration between education, businesses/organizations, and the government, to create new solutions where gaps exist, and to provide resources where necessary to organize lifelong learning (LLO) more efficiently and effectively at both national and regional levels.
The LLO-Catalyst consists of four building blocks:
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The development of an LLO Radar aims to provide insights into the required skills for the future of the (regional) labor market, both in the short and long term. This LLO Radar builds upon existing research and available knowledge.
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Regions are facilitated and encouraged to collaborate within existing structures to develop LLO solutions focused on the skills needed for transitions. In co-creation labs, they work on deepening the necessary skills and designing and implementing solutions. LLO-Catalyst provides support for the formation of these co-creation labs, offering guidance and practical tools, and facilitates the sharing of acquired knowledge and successful LLO solutions among regions.
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Education institutions are encouraged to offer successful, transition-oriented LLO solutions on a scalable, affordable, high-quality, and accessible basis by providing support in professionalizing their organization for LLO. This includes areas such as internal administration and systems, data collection, registration, communication, and other work processes. Additionally, special attention is given to the development of teaching methods for professionals.
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Employees and employers are encouraged to participate in lifelong learning opportunities, including through targeted advice and public campaigns.
The LLO-Catalyst adopts a phased, learning approach, focusing on economic and societal transitions and utilizing existing networks, starting with small-scale initiatives. The region serves as the primary structure for designing, building, and testing solutions, while scaling up nationally where possible. Regional transition agreements between education, organizations, and government bring together the demand for education and the supply of training programs, tailored to the specific economic and societal challenges of each region and the individuals working there.