Type of organisation (legal status, main areas and type of activity)

VVS Noord- en Oost-Nederland is a vocational training centre for women, established in 1986 and situated in the city of Assen. Legal status- private foundation. The workfield of the centre covers the four northern provinces Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe and Overijssel.The history and setting up of the women’s training centres are based on the growing need for training and employment opportunity for women job seekers, especially women returners and migrant and ethnic minority women. In the Netherlands there are 7 of these specialized training centres. The centres are united in a national umbrella organisation, the National Association for Vocational Training for Women. Each centre is an independant organisation, with own legal status, statutes and board, developing and delivering her own training activities, focussed on the regional labour market needs.Together, the seven training centres have a staff of more than 250 employees, management, trainers and support personnel. The annual turn-over being NLG 20million.

The training centres are operating within a power framework of social partners (trade unions, employer organisations and government), public authorities (job centres, chambers of commerce) and educational infrastructure. From a purposeful and outcome directed orientation, the centres mainstream the different interests of different organisations of jobseekers and employers, aimed at matching supply and demand of up-to-date skilled workers. Based on the outcome of labourmarket research, the VVS delivers vocational training courses in the field of informatics and ICT, commerce and export, management, business creation, CAD, accounting, rural tourism, personal development and job orientation.

Size of organisation, in terms of the total number of personnel (use full-time equivalents)

VVS Noord- en Oost-Nederland employs 31 full-time staff, involved in management, teaching, child nursery, administration, marketing and public relation, research and development, international relationships.

Evidence of experience of the organisation of the women’s employment issues and experience in international co-operation

The centre provides education and training programmes for women both in and out of work.She has developed and implementated innovative training courses available in a number of languages. This has been achieved in successful transnational partnerships with organisations in other European countries. She has been and is involved in European action programmes such as IRIS, NOW, Interreg, Petra, Socrates, Leonardo, ESF, PHARE. Next to the transnational development and research projects, the centre also advices and stimulates organisations from other countries in seting up vocational training for women. Trainers of the VVS Noord- en Oost-Nederland are IRIS qualified teachers and are experienced in delivering Train the Trainers Courses.Representatives of the of the VVS are regularly taking part in the national as well as European debates and policy-making, on equal opportunities for women on the labourmarket, gender and vocational education and training.

The centre is an active member of the European IRIS and Cedefop organisations.The Netherlands have an extraordinary new export product: vocational training for women. Several countries in Europe and beyond are discovering the expertise of VVS and seek collaboration: Eastern European countries, Baltic states, Scandinaviaa, Portugal, but also the Antilles as well as South American and Southern African countries. The internationalization of education, an important issue in Europe, istaking shape, through the conducting of research, the implementation of new curricula, exchange of students and trainers and the internationalization of existing vocational training courses. VVS Noord- en Oost-Nederland strongly feels the need to disseminate knowledge and experience and to learn from other partners as well as to get insight in other cultures in order to achieve a better understanding and respect of other European cultures.

Name of the project : Interreg programme – development and implementation of the vocational training programme Geographic Information Systems
Project duration: 2 years
Participants: Germany, the Netherlands

Name of the project: Interreg – conducting of a feasibility study into social firms
Project duration: 1 year
Participants: Germany, the Netherlands

Name of the project: Petra programme – development of the training curriculum of Assistant in SME’s
Project duration: 2 years
Participants: Italy, the Netherlands

Name of the project: Petra programme – development of the training module Marketing International
Project duration: 1 year
Participants: Germany, the Netherlands

Name of the project: Leonardo Transito programme – documenting the labour market research methodology
Project duration: 6 months
Participants: Italy, the Netherlands

Name of the project: NOW programme - publication Handbook Vocational Training Centres for Women
Project duration: 1 year
Participants: Germany, England, the Netherlands

Name of the project: NOW programme – implementation of the training programme Assistant in SME’s
Project duration: 2 years
Participants: Italy, the Netherlands

Name of the project: NOW programme – transfer of knowledge and advice concerning realisation of vocational training in Portugal
Project duration: 1.5 year
Participants: Portugal, the Netherlands

Name of the project: Socrates programme – implemnentation of ODL methods including development of training materials, study guides, course modules
Project duration: 4 years
Participants: England, Finland, Germany, Italy, Ireland, the Netherlands

Name of the project: Socrates programme – dissemination of ODL experiences
Project duration: 1 year
Participants: Italy, England, Ireland, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands