“As a 55-year-old transfer student with a pre-university education diploma and a very active life behind me, I have to follow exactly the same education as my 16-year-old counterpart who has just left high school,” writes actor, presenter and disc jockey Eric Corton in an op-ed this week in the Volkskrant popped up.
Such a course involves a mandatory Dutch and arithmetic exam where he ‘has to calculate things that he really doesn’t need when washing, dressing, feeding and taking to the toilet, under the watchful eye of an examiner with a calculator and a set square. ‘.
According to Corton, if there were room to skip certain subjects that have little to do with healthcare, the shortages in healthcare could also be partly solved. The MBO Council agrees with this, says spokesperson Jessy Burgers. “I understand the feeling. It is a bit uncomfortable to still receive those kinds of assignments at a later age.”
Exemptions not possible for older generations
Although there is currently room to skip certain subjects in an MBO healthcare course – for people who obtained a HAVO or VWO diploma after 2013 – this does not apply to HAVO and VWO students who completed secondary school before 2013. rounded.
“This is because agreements were made after 2013 about the level at which examinations take place. This allows you to make comparisons with something that has at least the same level. But we would also like to see more flexibility in this regard in the context of retraining,” says Burgers. .
According to Burgers, this theme has been around for some time. He also hears many stories about older people who want to work in healthcare themselves, but find the threshold too high. They have to follow the learning routes with Dutch, arithmetic and citizenship, even though they already had this in secondary school. “Everyone is welcome to start a career in healthcare. And there must be flexibility in the law to make it possible to obtain certain exemptions.”
The trade association for Caring Nurses, V&VN, agrees with this. They state in response that life experience ensures that someone has often already acquired citizenship education and other skills. “You shouldn’t test people on that, but give exemptions.”
Customization
But according to the trade association, there must be tailor-made solutions between age groups. “A school dropout must learn to apply for jobs, but an older technology employee may have more to learn when reporting.”
Eric Corton concludes his opinion piece with a call for a system in which people can be trained for daily tasks in practice. “I think that in this way many more older hands will want to be at the bedside, who can do that well and carefully.”
Response from the Ministry of Education
RTL News has asked the Ministry of Education for a response. They indicate that it is important that lateral entrants are given the opportunity to complete healthcare training in an accessible manner. “Fortunately, a lot is already possible. You do not always have to obtain a full MBO diploma to be able to perform certain care tasks. People can also follow one or more modules of an MBO course and obtain MBO certificates for this.”
The exemption rules for arithmetic and language are more limited. “But the vocational institution can also offer these exams at the beginning, after which the student no longer has to follow education.”
The Ministry of Education also sees room to make transfers smoother and is currently exploring the exemption policy.
2024-02-18 08:26:43
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