Challenges

Future teachers – closed

City of Amsterdam

 

Background

There is a growing shortage of teachers and pedagogical workers in Amsterdam, affecting both child day care centres and primary and secondary schools. There are too few enrolments in teacher training programmes, the occupation has acquired a negative reputation, and the possibilities regarding re-skilling and public funding are unclear. The competition posed by other occupations also plays a role.

If nothing changes, by 2025 some 24,000 children in Amsterdam may not have a teacher in the classroom[1]. The shortage of pedagogical workers can also result in a scarcity of child day care places in the city. Proper child day care contributes to the development of Amsterdam’s children, and the availability of child day care furthermore enables parents to seek employment.

For the next 3 years, the education and child day care sectors are expected to need hundreds of additional workers annually.[2] The shortage is due to several factors, one of which is inadequate matching between employers and prospective employees. Research shows that many Dutch citizens would like to be active in education, but that too few of them take the step of seeking employment in the field.

 

The challenge

Find innovative ways to improve the match between child day-care/schools and potential pedagogical workers/teachers, thereby contributing to a greater availability of personnel.

 

Criteria

  • The solution should be compatible with an optimisation of currently available opportunities and the training and re-skilling of education personnel;
  • Good command of the Dutch language (by at least one member of the Startup) is required;
  • The startup will collaborate closely with the child day care sector, with primary and secondary education, and with the education institutes responsible for training future education personnel through teacher training programmes and institutes. The City will play a facilitating role, initially.

Issued by: RVE Onderwijs, Jeugd en Zorg

[1] http://www.parool.nl/amsterdam/lerarentekort-meer-geld-en-gemak-moeten-leraar-lokken~a4493472/

[2] For shortages in the education sector see the prognoses by Centerdata: https://www.centerdata.nl/nl/nieuws/publieksrapport-onderwijsarbeidsmarktramingen-2013-2025.