Learning communities

The Netherlands, like other countries, faces a major challenge when it comes to energy transition. Ambitious goals have been set to combat climate change, and there is significant pressure from society to achieve these goals, as seen in events such as the Urgenda lawsuit and protests in major cities, museums, and even TV programmes. However, achieving these goals is not automatic: new technologies and practices are being developed and implemented to replace the 'old' fossil fuel energy grid and reduce emissions. To implement these technologies and accelerate the transition, a strong labour market is needed with knowledge and skills in sustainable energy. Currently, the Netherlands is facing a shortage of personnel in the technical sector.

To ensure that innovation goes hand in hand with training staff, the Top Sectors started designating and promoting so-called Learning Communities in 2016. These are collaborative partnerships in which various parties – such as businesses, knowledge institutions, and educational institutions – collaborate to innovate, learn, and work together. By combining these activities, Learning Communities have the potential to contribute to a future-proof energy system and a future-proof workforce through innovation and education.

Dialogic investigates these Learning Communities and provides advice to better utilize the potential of these collaborations. We do this by developing a monitoring system for specific schemes, initially focusing on the MOOI scheme in 2021 (click here for the dashboard) and expanding in 2022/2023 to cover LC projects from the NWO's KIC programme and from the Green Capital NL proposal from the Growth Fund. Dialogic has also conducted broader research into strengthening the learning capacity of Learning Communities by identifying issues faced by Learning Communities and developing a corresponding Knowledge Agenda. Furthermore, Dialogic has analysed tools available from various parties for setting up and further developing Learning Communities. Through surveys among Learning Communities and extensive discussions with a large number of them, combined with analyses from entities like Katapult, the Learning Communities themselves, Talent for Technology Platform, and RVO, a deeper understanding of the operations and potential of Learning Communities is being achieved. We will continue to monitor these developments with great interest, including our involvement in the establishment of Learning Communities focused on AI in the Province of North Brabant and other sectors.