Education and labor

Technological innovation, an ageing population and the energy transition are increasing the demand for specialised professionals. Despite a slight increase in the number of young people opting for technical education, the number of vacancies continues to rise, resulting in major shortages, long waiting times and high work pressure. Public-private partnerships and the involvement of the business community in education are essential to better align education with the rapidly changing needs of the sector. Discover how these joint efforts contribute to a future-proof technical sector.

In the first quarter of 2023, there were 83,600 technical vacancies. Nico van Leeuwen, Business Developer at ROVC, is sounding the alarm. “The shortage of technical personnel will only increase in the coming years. We are only at the beginning of the problem.” Since 2015, ROVC has published the Tech barometer, a trend report that provides an overview of the technical labor market. The report is based on the input of more than 2,700 technicians, 1,000 companies and 1,000 potential lateral entrants. “We do not only want to be a trainer, but also think along with our customers. A changing labor market requires smart training. That is why we look at what is happening in the sector.”

After your training as an analyst, working in a laboratory is a logical step. But according to Ozan Arikan, Recruitment Team Leader at Checkmark, this is not always self-evident. “It often happens that someone studies biology or chemistry and finds the subject interesting, but does not see themselves working in a lab. During your training, you have a strong focus and often do not see what else is possible. But there are so many options. For example, you can go into the commercial side, as a sales or product specialist, or work in a role with a lot of customer contact. Are you interested in standards and protocols? Then quality assurance is an option. Or perhaps the profession of recruiter suits you,” he adds with a laugh.