Dutch School System

The Netherlands opts for compulsory school attendance for all children between the ages of 5 and 16. From the age of 17 to 23, you have to go to school until you have a HAVO or VWO diploma or a diploma from an MBO program at least level 2.

Primary school

A child aged 4 to 12 years attends primary school. The school lasts 8 years

Secondary education

Children aged 12-18 go to secondary school.
There are 4 types of schools:
Practical education
VMBO – Preparatory vocational education
MBO – vocational education
HAVO
VWO

Practical education

Practical training lasts 5 years. The student does an internship and receives theory and practical lessons to be able to work, but also lessons in housing, citizenship, and leisure activities.

VMBO

The VMBO lasts 4 years. Students are 12-16 years old. The students follow the same program for the first 2 years. After the 2nd year, each student chooses a direction. Based on the results, the student chooses a learning path.
There are 4 areas:
Economy
Technique
Care & wellbeing
Agriculture
Within these areas, you have 4 levels.
After VMBO: MBO, also 4 levels

MBO

Secondary vocational education. It is equivalent to the HAVO
The MBO courses prepare you for practicing a trade or profession.
There are 4 areas:
Economy
Technique
Care & wellbeing
Agriculture
Within these areas, you have 4 levels.
After the MBO you can still go to HBO. The child is admitted based on the results.

HAVO

Children aged 12-17 follow HAVO to prepare for HBO, higher vocational education. The child is admitted based on the results.

VWO

Children aged 12 to 18 follow the VWO to prepare for HBO or University. The child is admitted based on the results.

As soon as you speak, write and understand Dutch, you can start training. Why is training so important? There is training in the Netherlands for almost every profession. Why? The Dutch believe that it is important that quality is delivered. They also think that someone with an education and therefore a diploma can work better than without. Think especially of safety in a factory, technical functions such as an electrician or plumber, but a hairdresser also needs training. The diploma gives people the confidence that they will do the job well. A course has a theoretical part and a practical part. So you also have to do an internship. Finding a company to do an internship is therefore also part of your education
Understanding Dutch language boosts your future!

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