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Learn & Work

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3. A balanced labor market

The labor shortages that employers are currently facing are becoming an increasing problem. Especially when it comes to tech and IT jobs and jobs in the healthcare and educational sector.

To address the shortage of tech and IT professionals, we are investing in the attraction and retention of international students and knowledge workers. Furthermore, we offer jobseekers and existing employees retraining, refresher training and additional training programs. We are trying to double the number of tech graduates in intermediate vocational and higher vocational education and at universities. Furthermore, robotics, automation and innovation in HR and recruitment help us view work from a different perspective. However, this requires efforts from schools, companies, social partners and the public authorities.

 

Brainport International student

Increase number of tech and IT graduates intermediate vocational and higher vocational education and universities

To ensure a sufficient number of qualified talents is entering the labor market, it is important that pupils and students are choosing an area of study in which they will be certain of a job. Currently, and we expect in the coming years as well, most jobs will become available in Brainport’s tech and IT sector. The intermediate vocational and higher vocational schools and universities in the region have committed to double the number of tech and IT graduates or they will at least try to increase this number. To ensure a continuous increase of the number of tech and IT graduates, we will focus on creating innovative ways to promote tech study programs, reducing the number of dropouts, attracting and retaining international students and offering and developing hybrid-learning environments.

Attraction and retention international knowledge workers

In the short term, the pressing shortages in tech and IT professionals are mainly solved by attracting international knowledge workers. They have the required expertise and experience and will bring cultural diversity to the workplace, which is important to stimulate innovation. Both large multinationals and the SMEs in the region will benefit from these international knowledge workers. Therefore, it is very important to actively attract and retain international tech and IT knowledge workers within and outside Europe to balance the current labor market and to fill the many jobs that are available.

Retraining, refresher training and additional training programs for existing employees and jobseekers

The labor market often has to deal with mismatches. People without a job that do want to work do not always have the required skills. If the public authorities and employers invest in retraining, refresher training and additional training programs for jobseekers and schools anticipate by offering the appropriate study programs, more people will be able to find a suitable job. 

  1. Innovation in HR and recruitment

Taking a different approach to the HR and recruitment process may help reduce the shortages. By focusing on the target group when defining a job vacancy or by viewing the resumes of candidates in a different way, we would be able to find more candidates that are suitable. It is therefore important to focus on the entire candidate journey.   

  1. Robotics and automation

Robotics and automation are often seen as a threat to human labor. However, combined with job carving, these developments do offer the opportunity to organize labor in a different way. For example, through robotics and automation less people are needed. Moreover, technology allows people with a certain work-limiting disability to do the job.

Stakeholders 

Various stakeholders and target groups in the region are important when it comes to realizing this ambition. Such as primary and secondary schools, intermediate vocational and higher vocational education and universities. But also companies from the high-tech and manufacturing industry, including employers’ and employee organizations, service companies and the national, local and provincial authorities in several partnerships. 

Brainport Development’s role

Brainport Development is promoting this ambition and is discussing it with the local, provincial, national and European authorities involved in funding, policy and regulation. Brainport Development contributes to this ambition by driving innovation and cooperation and by coordinating and linking regional and sometimes provincial and national initiatives. In addition, Brainport Development has an executive role when multiple organizations have the same request and no other party is dealing or is able to deal with the request. Brainport mainly focuses on promoting the region to foreign tech and IT students and knowledge workers. Furthermore, the Brainport organization helps employers make a cultural shift in respect of HR & recruitment.

Projects Brainport Development

Pilot project Hybrid Tech Teachers

This pilot project was introduced to improve the quality of STEM education in Brainport Eindhoven and to address the increasing shortage of technical teachers in the labor market. With this project, we try to ensure that in two years’ time hundred ‘hybrid light’ teachers are teaching classes 4 to 8 hours a week and that we have ten fully hybrid teachers from the industry. The project specifically aims at secondary, intermediate vocational and higher vocational education and universities.

Technology promotion 2.0

Setting goals and organizing technology promotion activities for pupils in primary and secondary schools in order to address them from their world of experience.

Brabant International Students

Brabant International Students was founded to ensure that companies get in touch with talented international students. Together with the higher education institutions in the region and the Holland Expat Center South, they link graduating international students to companies that are looking for talent. They do this by organising various events.

Talent Attraction Programme

Through regional branding, knowledge exchange and support for companies, this programme focuses on attracting international tech and IT knowledge workers for and together with the regional business community.

Innovation HR recruitment

Organizing various activities for HR and recruitment innovation.

Questions about this ambition or the projects for it?

Please contact me using the information below.

Phone:
06 27 74 50 06

E-mail:
e.vannispen@brainportdevelopment.nl

Edith van Nispen

Education & Labor Market Strategist