Netherlands to shift €66m in MBO funding from Randstad to shrinking regions to keep vocational schools open

A system under strain

Dutch secondary vocational education (MBO) has been funded largely per student, a model that is unravelling as demographics shift. The number of MBO students is projected to fall from 508,000 in 2020 to 449,000 by 2038, a decline of roughly 13 percent nationally. In regions such as Drenthe, the Achterhoek and parts of Zeeland, the drop reaches 25 percent or more. Without intervention, entire courses would disappear, forcing students to travel long distances or abandon further education altogether.

Good MBO education must be accessible to everyone, regardless of where you live or your financial situation.

What changes

From 2029 every MBO institution will receive a fixed base amount, the so-called ‘vaste voet’, making budgets less dependent on fluctuating enrolments. Schools in designated shrinking regions (Friesland, Groningen, Drenthe, Twente, the Achterhoek, Noord-Holland Noord, Zeeland and Limburg) will qualify for an accessibility supplement worth €81 million a year, provided at least half their students come from those areas. A further €200 million cooperation budget will replace the existing quality-dependent pot, rewarding partnerships with local employers.

Winners and losers

The redistribution is budget-neutral within the sector’s €5 billion annual envelope. Around €66 million will be shifted from other MBO colleges, with 41 of the 53 institutions losing an average of 1.5 percent of their funding. Three schools hit the 4 percent loss cap: Grafisch Lyceum Utrecht, Nimeto (Utrecht) and Hoornbeeck College (Rotterdam and Gouda). The MBO Council supports the plan, though spokesperson Jessy Burgers noted, “we would of course have preferred extra money from central government.”

If we stop offering the tiler course in Zeeland, in a few years there will be no tilers left in the entire province.

Student measures

Minors will receive free compulsory learning materials from 2029, a response to surveys showing one in five minor MBO students struggles to make ends meet. Laptops are not included. The minister also pointed to a forthcoming talent strategy that will steer students towards sectors with labour shortages.

Road to implementation

The proposal builds on groundwork laid by previous ministers Moes (BBB) and Bruins (NSC). Letschert, who took office as the plans were being finalised, said she “arrived at the tail end at a perfect moment.” A public consultation opens later this month, a parliamentary debate is scheduled for late September, and the government aims to steer the bill through both chambers by 2028.