Drenthe
Drenthe (465.000 inhabitants) is a province of contrasts. It has an impressive landscape with stretches of woods and heatlands, but also modern cities with dynamic service industries and high-tech business.

Eight educational clusters
The Drenthe College is organisationally divided into eight sector-oriented educational clusters. Each cluster, in its turn, is again subdivided into educational teams. The cluster managers are responsible for the daily organization and execution of the courses of instruction within the relevant departments.

The educational clusters are categorised as follows:

Education

Trade & Commerce

Catering, Tourism, Nutrition, Facilitative Services, Sports & Exercise

Technology 1: Automobile engineering, Architecture, Electrical engineering, Installation engineering

Technology 2: Mechanical engineering, Process engineering, Laboratory technology, ICT-Lyceum (secondary school)

Business Services

Care & Welfare 1

Care & Welfare 2

Intermediate Vocational Education courses take two forms:

• vocational training (BOL)
• vocational assistance (BBL)

Vocational Training (BOL): school and work placement
For a BOL course the student spends most of his time at school. He also spends twenty to forty weeks working and learning at a business or institution. The work placement is an essential part of the programme.

Vocational Assistance (BBL): working and school
For a BBL course the student is working at least twenty hours a week and learns his occupation primarily on the job. He also attends a theory class at school one day or afternoon and one evening a week. Even a person who has worked for a long time can start a BBL course.

BBL: first an employer
A person who wants to follow a BBL course should apply to his employer. If his request is not accepted, the training institute or Student Service may be of assistance.

Choosing
Some courses have only one training form, others have both. During the course it is often possible to transfer to the other form. In terms of the diploma, there is no difference.

Sub-qualifications
For an MBO (Intermediate Vocational Education) course a person needs no chosen set of course options or final examinations, as is the case for VMBO (Preparatory Intermediate Vocational Education) and HAVO (Higher General Secondary Education). Instead, there are sub-qualifications. These are parts of the course that the student concludes with various theoretical and practical tests. If the result is satisfactory, the sub-qualification is obtained. In this way the student secures his diploma through the accumulation of sub-qualifications.

MBO Levels: from Assistant to Specialist
MBO courses are divided into four levels. The higher the level, the more is expected of the student in the course and later in his occupation. It is therefore important that the student selects a level that matches his abilities and background, in terms of both personal qualities and preferences and preliminary education. The MBO levels are given in the diagram below. The diploma for a given level qualifies a student for the next level. A fter securing a diploma for level four, the student can continue with pre-university education (level five).

Level	Name	Duration
Level 1	Assistant Training (Course) Simple work	1 year
Level 2	Basic training Performing work	2 - 3 years
Level 3	Vocational training Working fully independently	2 - 3 years
Level 4	Middle management training Working fully independently with broad capacity for application	max. 4 years
Level 5	Specialist training (to follow vocational training) Specialised work	2 years

Intermediate Vocational Education (MBO)
Level 1 assistant training	Level 2 basic vocational training	Level 3 vocational training	Level 4 middle management specialist training
Preliminary education
No preliminary education required	VMBO basic vocationally orientated	VMBO theory training mixed training management training
	VBO / MAVO B-level diploma	VBO / MAVO C-level diploma
		HAVO Transitional qualification to Havo 3/4 Diploma: students qwith a HAVO diploma can do certain courses in a shorter time
		VWO Transitional qualification to VWO 3/4>

The student may also be admitted with another, but equivalent preliminary education, as in the case of an education enjoyed in a country other than the Netherlands. The definition of ´equivalent´ is determined in consultation with the school.

Placement
The MBO courses are given in Assen, Emmen, Hardenberg, Hoogeveen, Meppel and Steenwijk.

Charges
The student is subject to four kinds of charges:

• Statutory tuition or course fee
• Registration charges
• Training charges
• Books and other costs

Adult Education
Adult education concerns supporting, orienting, linking and generally formative courses and training programmes at various levels given in the Education Unit. The selection includes crash courses for MAVO, HAVO and VWO, Dutch for Non-native Speakers, Broad Social Functioning (preparation for schooling and work) and Social Self-sufficiency (basis skills and general development).

Six Levels of Adult Education
Training programmes are offered in adult education that are intended for persons above the age of eighteen and aimed at social participation, participation in the job market and participation in forms of (follow-up) education. Adult education has six levels. As you can see in the diagram below, the levels of educational qualification match the levels of the vocational education.

Flow-through Vocational education
Level of education			possible to	MBO level
Self-sufficiency qualification	1
Threshold qualification	2		-->	Assistant-training	1
Basic qualification	3	NT2 I	-->	Basic vocational training	2
Start 1 qualification	4	NT2 II	-->	Vocational training	3
Start 2 qualification	5	HAVO	-->	a. Middle management training b. Specialist training HBO	4 5
Advanced qualification	6	VWO		WO (university

Company Training and Courses
Company training and courses offer a range of (refresher) courses and educational programmes for companies, institutions and private parties. In addition to standard programmes and courses, a course can be tailor-made and implemented at the request of a company or institution. If preferred, the course can be given at the company or institution itself.

Applying at Drenthe College
An applicant at Drenthe College needs an application card. He can apply for this himself at our website www.drenthecollege.nl or by phoning the free information number 0800-8812345. An applicant can also obtain a card from the dean of the schools for secondary education. When Drenthe College has received the application form, the applicant will be sent a notice of receipt and an invitation to an intake interview.

Intake Interview
Every occupation and every course sets requirements on a person. The applicant must be suitable but suitability cannot be determined from his preliminary education alone. For this reason an applicant is invited to an intake interview. During this talk the question is considered of whether the chosen course of training is the most suitable one. The applicant is sometimes required to take a test to measure certain skills.

Educational and Practical Training Contract
Once the student has begun, the school concludes an educational contract (required by law) with the student (if he is under the age of eighteen, his parents or guardians sign). This document specifies the rights and obligations that the course of training entails for the student and the school. At the start of the vocational training (BOL) or the employment training (BBL) the student concludes a practical training contract with the school and employer.

Independent Study
Employers not only want an employee to understand his occupation, but that he can think and work independently. This includes learning new know-how that is important for the job, looking for information at his own initiative when there is something he does not know and looking for a solution himself when he encounters a problem in the course of work.

Independent study can mean different things. It means that the student takes some courses at his own tempo or that a practical assignment is given that is to be completed outside class hours alone or in groups. This involves planning, compiling information, collaboration, etc. This approach is sometimes called Problem Oriented Education (PGO). Independent study also involves practising with a computer in the Open Study Centre. This is a study hall with PCs, the Internet, dictionaries and other reference works, videos and CD-ROMs at the free disposal of the student.

With this approach to studying the instructor is more a coach, question-man and someone who keeps track of whether the student is heading in the right direction than someone who tells him what to do and when. Thus, independent study means that the student has a certain freedom but also that he is ultimately responsible for his own progress.

Assistance
Effective assistance for the course is important. Consider for example support in planning the study, training in study skills or help for personal problems that can affect results. Assistance is provided by various staff:

• the class mentor (coaching the group, question-man and initial point of contact)
• the Student Service (advice and assistance for individual problems with the study or in selecting a study or vocation)
• practical coach (assistance for work-placement and work)
• confidential assistant (for problems of discrimination or undesired intimacy).

Student Service
The student can apply here for information and advice about his study and occupation. He can also take an aptitude test or a test of his capacities or receive training in applying for a job or taking an exam. The Student Service also offers coaching and assistance for individual problems of a social nature. If necessary, the Student Service refers the student in question on to an internal or external organisation for further assistance.

A School for Everyone
Drenthe College aspires to be a secure place of study and work for everyone. The school makes no distinction on the basis of race, colour, gender, sexual preference, language, religion, political persuasion or origin. Staff and students are expected to respect the beliefs and identity of others.

More Information
Visit www.drenthecollege.nl or phone free of charge the Drenthe College information line 0800-8812345. No rights may be derived from this brochure.