Unique mentoring and internship program for students in prevocational education

In the Netherlands, there are some 1.3 million students in secondary education under 22 years of age. Every year, 51,000 (17,000 of whom are students in prevocational education, also called vmbo students) leave school without completing an upper secondary qualification – a relatively high figure in the EU and OECD context. The penalties for not obtaining such a baseline qualification continue to rise as the war for talent becomes increasingly fierce in our modern economy. Recently, education became compulsory up to the age of 18, but this only provides the ‘push’– not the ‘pull’.

One of the main reasons why students drop out of school is that they have no clear idea of the opportunities on the labor market. In addition, they often do not realize the importance of continuing their studies and obtaining a degree or diploma.
The American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands (AmCham) wants to make a substantial contribution towards solving the problem of vmbo dropouts. To this end, the organization has joined forces with McKinsey&Company and Randstad HR Solutions to set up a specialist organization – aptly called Matchmaker – to arrange and guide internships that will be characterized by mentoring and coaching. This program of internships, called Champs on Stage, targets vmbo students in their third year. The internships are designed to prevent dropouts by opening up new perspectives and opportunities that are directly related to students’ schoolwork and further studies.

The pilot of Champs on Stage was launched in Rotterdam in September 2007. In 2008, Champs on Stage will expand in Rotterdam and be launched in Amsterdam.


Home NIEUWS WAT IS CHAMPS ON STAGE SPONSORS CONTACT ENGLISH Why take part in Champs on Stage? Who does what in Champs on Stage? Downloads SCHOLIEREN BEDRIJVEN SCHOLEN MATCHMAKER	Unique mentoring and internship program for students in prevocational education In the Netherlands, there are some 1.3 million students in secondary education under 22 years of age. Every year, 51,000 (17,000 of whom are students in prevocational education, also called vmbo students) leave school without completing an upper secondary qualification – a relatively high figure in the EU and OECD context. The penalties for not obtaining such a baseline qualification continue to rise as the war for talent becomes increasingly fierce in our modern economy. Recently, education became compulsory up to the age of 18, but this only provides the ‘push’– not the ‘pull’. One of the main reasons why students drop out of school is that they have no clear idea of the opportunities on the labor market. In addition, they often do not realize the importance of continuing their studies and obtaining a degree or diploma. The American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands (AmCham) wants to make a substantial contribution towards solving the problem of vmbo dropouts. To this end, the organization has joined forces with McKinsey&Company and Randstad HR Solutions to set up a specialist organization – aptly called Matchmaker – to arrange and guide internships that will be characterized by mentoring and coaching. This program of internships, called Champs on Stage, targets vmbo students in their third year. The internships are designed to prevent dropouts by opening up new perspectives and opportunities that are directly related to students’ schoolwork and further studies. The pilot of Champs on Stage was launched in Rotterdam in September 2007. In 2008, Champs on Stage will expand in Rotterdam and be launched in Amsterdam.