Utilizing untapped talent

During the congress From Shortage to Opportunity, education, healthcare and technology came together around an urgent question: how can we turn structural staff shortages into sustainable opportunities? In collaboration with The Hague Muncipality and the Economic Board Zuid-Holland, inclusion was approached not as an ideal, but as a necessity. Elisabeth Minnemann, Chair of the Executive Board, set the tone from the outset: “Shortages are not only a signal of scarcity, but of exclusion.”

Panel discussions with professionals and students made clear where that exclusion often arises: during intake, student support, internships and the transition into work. Theo Bakker, Professor of Learning Technology & Analytics, pointed to the untapped potential within healthcare: “The greatest potential lies with students and professionals who drop out unnecessarily. If we manage to retain even a small proportion of them, it can make a significant difference.” In his workshop Opportunities Across the Chain, he showed how THUAS is taking a different approach, through fairer selection procedures, stronger student guidance and replacing the binding study advice with a non-binding, personalised learning pathway recommendation.

Collaboration across the entire chain

The workshops offered depth and practical direction, with collaboration across the entire education-to-labour-market chain as a recurring theme. “You need to view the chain as one interconnected whole,” Bakker explained, “and not only develop solutions, but also evaluate and refine them together.” This made clear that sustainable solutions only emerge when education providers, employers, policymakers and students work collectively.

Diversity as a driver of innovation

The workshop Diversity as a Driver of Labour Market Innovation focused on unlocking untapped labour potential. Anita Ham, senior researcher at the research group Urban Developments (Center of Expertise, Governance of Urban Transitions) noted: “There are many people who were trained abroad and are now working far below their level here.” Together with partners such as the Municipality of The Hague, ROC Mondriaan and healthcare organisations, THUAS identifies barriers including language proficiency, legislation, regulation and registration requirements. “We use participatory action research,” Ham explained. “That means we don’t just analyse the problem, but implement actions along the way to actively reduce those barriers.”

From stories to lasting change

The conversations did not only include professionals, but also people from the untapped talent pool themselves, such as a doctor from Yemen who is eager to work in healthcare but is held back by language barriers. These personal stories helped shape concrete, step-by-step solutions and brought our core values curious, connecting, caring and committed to life as a shared compass for action.