These are the main conclusions of the report “When you can no longer see the forest for the trees” prepared by the Trimbos Institute, the Centre of Expertise for Inclusive Education (ECIO), Pharos, the Erasmus SYNC Lab and Utrecht University. The report and guidelines with possible solutions will be presented today to Her Majesty Queen Máxima (Honorary President of MIND Us), the Secretary General of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science Louis Mulder and Adnan Tekin from the MBO Board at Alpeda College in Rotterdam.
“To date, little research has been conducted on mental health among vocational education students. This group of over half a million students is exposed to a lot of pressure and stress. It is important that we identify the factors behind this. These students are capable of carrying a lot. But performance pressure and stress can ultimately lead to dropout and health problems.” – Julian Dobmeier, student project leader at the Trimbus Institute.
I can’t see the forest for the trees anymore.
Research shows that a large part of the performance pressure and stress within MBO can be explained by the accumulation of many (and large) responsibilities. “MBO students face a constant exercise in balancing study, training, work and their home situation,” says Lottie Sherin, research director at ECIO. “This constant balancing act without adequate rest often leads to time constraints, chaos and loss of control, which increases the risk of stress and burnout.”
There are factors that influence perceived stress both at the individual and societal level. Related to this are emotional problems and lack of control, but also issues such as lack of support from family and teachers, trust in institutions and exposure to discrimination due to educational level.
Busy weeks, stress and commitments at home
Students have many contact hours in secondary vocational education. “Full teaching weeks, filled with teaching and training hours, can add up to 38-40 hours per week, plus their own lives full of social commitments and part-time jobs. It’s no surprise that MBO students feel overwhelmed,” says Lotte Sherin.
There are more people with different backgrounds and levels in MBO than in HBO and WO. Therefore, it is difficult to draw general conclusions about the entire group from the study. What is striking is that for some students, emotional problems and tensions in the home situation are closely linked to the stress they experience. Students indicate that they often contribute domestically or financially at home. These responsibilities then move to the top of the pile. “We believe that this group is larger within MBO than in HBO and WO. That is why this comes to the forefront in our research on performance pressure and stress.
More skills and guidance
Students do not feel adequately prepared to take on major responsibilities and lack the skills. Consider mental health skills, study skills, and digital skills to take on these responsibilities. In addition, students face a mentoring bottleneck: teachers and supervisors in secondary vocational education are supportive and willing, but they appear overburdened and understaffed, and therefore not always available for mentoring.
Based on the main bottlenecks identified in the research, the researchers make a number of recommendations. For example, they recommend investing in student mentoring, with well-equipped teachers and other supervisors helping students. Basic facilities could also be provided to students experiencing financial difficulties.
More appreciation and future prospects
In addition, students feel a constant sense of being evaluated and appreciated. For MBO students, frequent exams and a perceived lack of appreciation and future prospects seem to play a major role. Students often have little confidence in their future, for example due to lower salaries in their future jobs, inequality compared to people with higher vocational and university education, or uncertainty about finding a job. Students also say that they face discrimination in internships and do not receive a training allowance or receive a lower training allowance than vocational and university students.
The researchers therefore also recommend continuing to invest in reducing discrimination in training and equalizing training compensation. They also call for the use of more role models with a secondary professional educational background, for example in politics and policy, whom students can emulate. Finally, it is essential to directly involve students in the development of education, research and policy.
It has long been recognized that working towards greater equality between MBO, HBO and WO students is important. This is evident among other things: MBO Work Schedule. One was also published in 2023. Message to Parliament From the then Minister of Education, Culture and Science Robert Dijkgraaf calling for a re-evaluation of secondary vocational education. “Very good work has already been done in this area, such as the knowledge and support programmes for student care at Stijn and Welbvinden op School and through Healthy School Approach“With our report, we once again draw attention to the increased appreciation of MBO students and to investing in equal opportunities and future prospects for these students. This includes taking care of their mental health, but also by making their educational and living situation less crowded and thus creating space for their development.
