Background
The HBO Monitor in a nutshell
The HBO Monitor is an annual survey of recent graduates of Dutch Universities of
Applied Sciences (in Dutch: hogescholen),
conducted since the early nineties. It provides a detailed overview of the
situation encountered by graduates after leaving education and entering the
labour market, and of postgraduate life in general. It also sheds light on the
extent to which HBO institutions adequately prepare students for the labour
market. The survey provides a wealth of information, for example on how
graduates look back on various aspects of their study programme, how employable
they are, which jobs they fulfil and which skills they possess and use in
performing those jobs. For graduates of HBO Fine Arts institutions a specific
Fine Arts Monitor (in Dutch: the Kunsten
Monitor) has been developed.
Collecting important data
The HBO Monitor provides useful information for a wide range of users. Secondary school
students can use the results to choose a HBO programme that is right
for them: what are the employment prospects for graduates of each programme,
and what kind of jobs can one expect to find after graduation? The
Universities gain a rich view of the situation of their graduates: how smooth
was the transition to the world of work, and how do they look back at their
study programme? The HBO Monitor also provides invaluable information for
policy makers and other stakeholders: how well does higher vocational education
match the requirements of the Dutch labour market?
Conducting the survey
To collect the data for the HBO Monitor, graduates are asked to fill out a questionnaire around one and a half years after their graduation. Approximately 90% of all Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences participate in the survey. The HBO Monitor is conducted by the Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) and DESAN Research Solutions, under the support and guidance of the Netherlands Association of Universities of Applied Sciences.
Content of the HBO Monitor
The questionnaire addresses the following main themes:
- The alignment to labour market needs, and the preparation for labour market entry.
- Success in the labour market in terms of employability, earnings, job security and job quality.
- Satisfaction with the study programme in general, as well as more specifically in terms of aspects such as the curriculum, assessment methods and teaching staff.
Recent Publications
- Van startende kunstenaar tot gevorderde: De loopbaanontwikkeling van kunstenaars in de eerste vijf jaren na afstuderen
- Van starter tot gevorderde. De loopbaanontwikkeling van hbo’ers in de eerste vijf jaren na afstuderen
- Wat verwachten werkgevers van HBO afgestudeerden?
For more information on the HBO-Monitor, go to http://www.hbomonitor.nl/nl