THE HAGUE — The Netherlands maintains a system of education and youth employment that includes structured pathways, employer partnerships, and state-supported apprenticeships. The national rate for individuals aged 18 to 24 who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) is 4.9%.
Dutch law mandates school attendance for children between the ages of five and 16. Youth must continue in education or training until they achieve a qualification or turn 18. Around age 12, students are placed into one of three secondary education tracks based on teacher recommendations and primary school test results.
The VMBO track offers a practical route often leading to vocational training. The HAVO track typically prepares students for universities of applied sciences, while the VWO track is an academic path directed towards research universities. High school teacher Asja van der Helm said, "The Dutch look at the industry, and see where we need workers, and the education system prepares them and fills the gaps."
Students aged 16 and older can participate in the beroepsbegeleidende leerweg, which combines part-time employment with one or two days of study per week. Businesses in the Netherlands can request customized college programs designed to meet specific company needs. Van der Helm said, "Many skilled tradespeople - electricians, roofers, installation specialists, technicians and craftspeople - are earning excellent incomes and are desperately needed by society." She added, "It's a very money-driven society for young adults. When they see a carpenter doing what they like and making a lot of money fast, they see that as aspirational."
Destiny, a youth who moved to the Netherlands from Bonaire, completed a beauty therapy course that led to an internship and paid employment at a salon. Amelie, who was placed in the vocational VMBO track at age 10, struggled to secure an internship and left her fashion course at 17. After six months of working and traveling, Amelie said, "If I had the freedom to drop out of school, I don't know what would have happened."
Dutch schools receive state funding for student health and wellbeing programs and can contract specialist organizations to establish support networks. Schools record all student absences and repeated lateness, notifying municipal attendance officers about these records. Alexander Koppelle, who owns Mooi Jong, an organization that works with school-referred pupils at risk of becoming NEET, said, "I'm not sure we have the golden key."