This article was originally published in Dutch by the MBO Raad (Dutch VET Council). Read the original article here.
'The next step is full recognition'
Jaap Beernink, Chair of the Foundation for Practorates, states that after ten years of independently building the practorate movement, practorates have demonstrated their strong contribution to the Netherlands' innovation capacity. The next step is full recognition and visibility. The ambition is for every MBO student to be involved in practice-based research within ten years.
Currently, there is one practor for approximately 4,600 MBO students, compared with one lecturer-researcher for every 507 students at universities of applied sciences and one professor for every 105 university students.
Adnan Tekin, Chair of the Dutch VET Council, welcomes the advisory report as important recognition for the MBO sector. Practice-based research in vocational education is firmly established, deeply rooted in society and closely aligned with the principle that every talent counts. He emphasises that it is now time to fully recognise vocational education institutions as knowledge institutions.
Students, teachers and professionals strengthen innovation
Practorates contribute to educational development, innovation in professional practice and future-proof professional skills. Students, teachers and professionals conduct research together and develop solutions that can be directly applied in education and practice.
This contribution is particularly visible at regional level. MBO institutions work closely with small and medium-sized enterprises and social organisations, translating practical challenges into research questions and useful solutions. In this way, practorates strengthen regional innovation capacity.
Collaboration between vocational education, universities of applied sciences and research universities
Practorates strengthen the broader research landscape across MBO, universities of applied sciences and research universities. Together with applied research groups and university research teams, they connect practical challenges, knowledge development and application.
Each contributes its own expertise on an equal basis. To strengthen this interaction, collaboration between the three educational sectors should be structurally embedded in knowledge and innovation agendas and research programmes.
Legal recognition and sustainable funding
The next step is to strengthen these developments sustainably. The Dutch VET Council and the Foundation for Practorates therefore support the AWTI's recommendation to give vocational education a statutory research responsibility, accompanied by structural funding and equal access to research programmes and research facilities.
The MBO sector aims to take the lead in developing a multi-year development and investment agenda, including agreements on capacity, quality, collaboration and the structural resources required.
Practorates can also contribute to the implementation of the Talent Strategy and to societal challenges such as digitalisation, the energy transition and healthcare innovation. The practical knowledge of practors, teacher-researchers and students could also be better utilised in the development and implementation of policy.
A strong national foundation and regional support
A strong national infrastructure remains essential for quality, professional development, knowledge sharing and collaboration. Provinces, economic boards and regional development agencies can also involve practorates in regional innovation agendas.
The Dutch VET Council and the Foundation for Practorates call on the Dutch ministries responsible for education, culture and science, and economic affairs, to involve vocational education and practorates at an early stage in the knowledge and innovation agendas for 2028–2031 and the associated research programmes.
After ten years, practorates have proven their value. Now is the time to recognise vocational education as a full knowledge partner and give practorates the opportunity to develop further.
Care about IT and the ‘Practoraat Zorg & Technologie’(Health & Technology Practorate)
The collaboration between Care about IT and the Practoraat Zorg & Technologie (Health & Technology Practorate) is an example of how practice-based research contributes to innovation in vocational education and healthcare.
Through this collaboration, healthcare and IT students work together on real-world challenges, exploring and testing technological solutions for healthcare. The knowledge, partnerships and educational approaches developed through Care about IT will continue to be developed within the practorate after the project ends.
The collaboration was recently highlighted in an article published in the Dutch newspaper Dagblad van het Noorden, illustrating how students, teachers and healthcare organisations work together to drive innovation.
