Enrolment at vocational colleges continues to grow

The number of students at vocational colleges increased again in the past college year (2001/’02): 324 thousand students were enrolled at 64 vocational colleges, 47 thousand more than five years ago. The largest increases were for pedagogy and economics courses. More than half of college students are women.

Enrolment at vocational colleges

Women in the majority

The number of students at vocational colleges rose by eight thousand in 2001/’02, to 324 thousand. This was a 2.6 percent increase on the previous year. With just over 52 percent women account for more than half of the students. Five years ago the numbers of male and female students were equal.

Most students full-time

Eight out of ten college students are enrolled for full-time courses. The number of part-time students has hardly changed in recent years. There has been a notable increase in the number of students on dual courses, in which studying is alternated with a job at a company or institution relevant to the course. The number of students on dual course rose by more than a quarter to over nine thousand.

Enrolment at vocational colleges by sector

Economics and pedagogy

Out of the seven education sectors within vocational colleges, economics claims most students. One in three college students were doing an economics related course. The number of students in this discipline grew by nearly five thousand in 2001/’02. In the pedagogy disciplines, too the number of students increased. Student enrolment in engineering and social sciences on the other hand, fell slightly.

Kees Gordijn