Unemployment is high among young people in the South side of Rotterdam. Yet the city’s employers need more people with valuable technical skills. The BRIDGE programme supports schoolchildren to choose vocational studies in growth areas, improving their access to good-quality jobs and helping companies find essential workers.
- 11 May 2018
The EU support is a fantastic acknowledgement of the innovative career guidance developed by mentors, deans, teachers and employers for pupils in BRIDGE. It enables us to make a difference to the lives of young people in Rotterdam South, to give them a future with a good education and a strong start in their working lives. BRIDGE is ambitious project, but we are convinced that our goals are reachable.
Support focuses on preparing young people for careers in Rotterdam’s Green Digital Economy, such as in smart port services, engineering or healthcare. Activities start at age 9, to raise awareness of the target sectors early, and continue until the end of vocational school education.
The programme is improving schools, children’s options and the social status of this economically vital path. A key element is the Career Start Guarantee, where employers guarantee students a job if they enter secondary vocational education in their sector. After 18 months, companies have provided 500 guarantees.
Raising aspirations
In Rotterdam South, an area with high poverty and a large migrant population, unemployment is currently at 21 %. Young people from the area frequently train for jobs that have high prestige but limited opportunities, such as financial or administrative work. Others abandon school early for the informal sector.
BRIDGE supports children to stay in school and choose education that increases their chances of a stable, good-quality job. Schools promote vocational training for local sectors experiencing major growth through a mixture of activities such as group visits to potential employers, career guidance and mentoring from technical college students.
Older schoolchildren are also encouraged to complete the higher level of vocational school education (MBO) rather than the basic vocational level (VMBO). This higher level more closely meets employers’ long-term requirements and opens doors to additional education opportunities.
Brighter future
Seven months after the BRIDGE career support began, all schools in Rotterdam South were taking part, with 1 800 9-year-olds starting the programme each year. Over 60 teachers are being trained in careers guidance, 1 300 older students are receiving mentoring and 300 have started training with a career start guarantee.
Industry support is also strong. Six employer associations are in BRIDGE, representing over 100 businesses, including major employers. Public procurement conditions and social impact bonds encourage more companies to contribute to BRIDGE, financially or through career start guarantees.
To ensure that BRIDGE meets its aims, the programme has developed a set of impact indicators. These include targets of 50 % of vocational training students in technical or healthcare studies by 2020, along with a 20 % reduction in unemployment among recent graduates and 10 % fewer vocational school dropouts.
A second phase of the programme will run from 2020 to 2025, with plans for additional activities until 2032. Activities after 2019 will be financed by up to EUR 3 000 000 of public-private funding.
Further information: https://jeugdjournaal.nl/artikel/2210388-kinderen-op-basisschool-krijgen-nu-al-les-over-beroep-kiezen.html
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “BRIDGE - Building the Right Investments for Delivering a Growing Economy” is EUR 6 247 030, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 4 997 624 through the “Urban Innovative Actions” initiative for the 2014-2020 programming period.