The plan is still in its infancy, says Chairman of the Executive Board of the Open University of the Netherlands Arent van der Feltz. But the Dutch universities, united in umbrella organization VSNU, want to seriously address the issue of ‘lifelong learning’ in a joint effort. It is one of the topics in the vision document they released yesterday in the run-up to Prince’s Day. They want to launch a ‘platform’ that will make their range of refresher courses easily accessible.

What progress has been made with the plan?
AvdF: “It hasn’t been fully worked out yet, but it is robust enough. It’s about post-initial education, in other words: education after a master’s degree. That such a plan will be successful is by no means self-evident, but it has to take off at some point.”

What has to be done to make it a success?
“The range of courses and modules has to match better with existing needs, and it has to become easier to find. We want to create access to the full range and depth of the universities. We need to attune how we organize education so that it is easier for participants to combine modules. And we can also share knowledge about digital didactics, because that will play a major role.”

Who will take part?
“We are still in the process of discussing this, but we want an open platform for universities, institutions of higher vocational education, and private providers. That’s not illogical. If you want to follow a refresher course or module on a certain subject, you prefer to have a complete overview of every education provider.”

You call upon the government to finance this kind of education. What do you have in mind?
“In the current situation, the ministry uses vouchers to stimulate flexible education, but that doesn’t sufficiently cover the costs. And education also becomes somewhat short-breathed when everything depends on vouchers. It can be important to offer certain courses, even if they initially don’t cover the costs. Just think of all the teacher-training programs. I wouldn’t hesitate to claim that every program in the Netherlands should have a post-initial variant.”

Working together can be a problem, because educational institutions are competitors as well.
“It is delicate for certain. That is why I prefer not to make any grandiose statements. But in education we are not really competitors, we're just comrades in arms. And it's hugely important that people are able to continuously develop themselves. Universities should play a role in that as well. Noblesse oblige, right?”

Inventory

Policy officer Chantal Brans is also looking into this issue, at the behest of TU/e’s Executive Board. Brans: “We have joined this VSNU initiative and we will present the educational board with a few scenarios by the end of September. The executive board considers it TU/e’s task to make all available knowledge at TU/e accessible to our alumni, as well as to the knowledge workers in this region.”

Brans says that an inventory is being made of all that is desirable in the field of lifelong learning. “We will eventually offer support to ensure that everything we offer at TU/e will find a place on that central platform.” At the moment, Brans says, such an educational offer hardly exists.