We face major environmental, natural and living challenges in the Netherlands. The climate is changing, raw materials are becoming scarce and social injustice is increasing. Our society is in transition.

From these issues, people are working hard to give hands and feet to the solutions together, including in the Climate Agreement and the Raw Materials Agreement. The energy transition and the transition to a circular economy (CE) are taking concrete shape.

In shaping these transitions, training and education play an important role. Many jobs are changing, new professions are emerging and employees need different knowledge and competencies. MBO, HBO and WO are very important both in initial training and in acquiring and learning the sustainable skills needed for these transitions.

However, the approaches developed by schools, educationalists and civil society organizations are rarely underlain by the vision of young people. Much is said about the future labor market, without including the future itself. Current policies are not sufficiently attuned to young people. This creates a mismatch between education and the labor market. This mismatch ensures that young people cannot keep up with the various fundamental tasks ahead. The government, business and educational institutions are therefore currently missing the very group that can be at the forefront of these fundamental tasks.

From this perspective, Students for Tomorrow, in collaboration with Learning for Tomorrow and the Young Climate Movement, started a survey to collect young people's opinions on circular education in the Netherlands. We started with questions such as; "What do young people find important?", "What would they like to learn?", "How would they like to learn?" and "How would they like to see their education organized in view of a changing world and the need for circular skills that arises as a result?".

In collaboration with Sustainability Games, an online game was created; the FutureProef. In this game, students can give their opinions about education. Several workshops and guest lectures on the theme of the Circular Economy were also held at schools throughout the Netherlands. From the input of the game and the guest lessons, youth tables were then organized. Here, in-depth discussions were held with students about what they are up against in their current education, but also where they see opportunities for improvement.

Scroll down for the white paper with the results!