MBO Council: Labor market relevance research

The MBO Council is a Dutch educational organization that acts as a trade association for secondary vocational education institutions. By mapping the labor market relevance of artist training programs, the MBO Council can challenge the way in which the Macro-Efficiency Committee maps this. In addition, the research should contribute to strengthening the bond between MBO institutions and their alumni by asking them for input on this issue and their own careers as artists.

 “This study has brought to light the gut feeling about the training programs and has also provided more insight into the careers of alumni in this sector. Markteffect helped us to develop a clear approach, process steps, and clear reporting with the desired insights. 
- Gabry Karsdorp, Policy Advisor, MBO Council

In order to determine the labor market relevance of arts education programs, a large-scale survey of arts education program alumni was conducted in collaboration with all vocational education institutions that offer arts education programs in the Netherlands. The MBO Council took the lead in this process and set up a core group consisting of employees from various vocational education institutions to help organize the survey.

A questionnaire was developed asking questions about, among other things, the stage of one's career, the importance of the training (both for personal and professional development), the extent to which one has worked within and outside the field of art after graduation, the extent to which one has continued to pursue further training, and the current form(s) of income generation. Alumni of the artist training programs were invited to complete this questionnaire online, thereby providing insight into their careers as artists.

“It is wonderful to be able to tackle such a socially relevant issue and thereby contribute to the preservation of artist training programs. The clear issue and the specific principles that could be challenged, together with the close collaboration with the core group, ensured that this research yielded many relevant insights.”
– Daan Meinders, Research Expert Markteffect

By dividing alumni according to how long ago they graduated, it was possible to map out approximately how long it takes graduates of arts programs to enter the labor market, thereby challenging the methodology used to determine labor market relevance. Other assumptions made by the Macro-Efficiency Committee could also be challenged, such as the standard that the majority of graduates must perform at least 12 hours of work per week at the appropriate level after one year in order to demonstrate the efficiency of a program.

The most important results of this study are presented in a clear infographic that has been presented to all vocational education institutions. In addition, the results for each educational institution are presented in a clear table report, so that each vocational education institution can gain insight into the strengths and areas for improvement of the artist training programs.

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