Learn, work and do it yourself at Prins Heerlijk

Rabo Foundation has been supporting Prins Heerlijk in their growth and development since 2008. With this support, they will open a seventh teaching location in 2024.

A lunch café, a restaurant, a healthcare centre – just some of the places Prins Heerlijk’s six training centres are located. Aside from being an environment for young people to learn as they work, three of Prins Heerlijk’s sites offer a ‘Special MBO in Business’. This MBO – a collaboration with vocational institutions De Rooi Pannen and ROC Tilburg – gives students the chance to receive extensive practical training in small groups, to accelerate their skills growth.

A new teaching location, focused on healthcare, will open in 2024 in the De Duynsberg service centre.

'It is important for young people that they can learn and work in one location. That is why we have taken up the financing issue for the new location,’ says Nynke Struik, program manager. 'Prins Heerlijk's collaboration with the healthcare institution, the training and the impact they achieve on young people fit in seamlessly with our ambitions. In addition, the teaching location will also be renovated and furnished in a circular manner.’

Prins Heerlijk reaches many people in the Netherlands. They guided almost 400 young people with a learning difficulty in 2023 alone. In addition to training and working, many received support with their personal development, working on their independence, self-reliance and self-confidence in social situations, plus the practical stuff, like administration and personal finances. 35 to 40 young people were even given housing. This combination of support has made a significant impact: every year, 75 young people obtain an MBO diploma with Prins Heerlijk, and 110 go on to secure a paid job.

Prins Heerlijk dares to creatively color outside the lines. Its collaboration with two MBO institutions to set up the 'Special MBO in Business' course being a good example, another being the unique collaborations it has established with various healthcare institutions. No other social enterprise has dared to do this so far because participants must obtain certifications and diplomas. But healthcare is a sector that surely needs more personnel, and we are pleased that in 2023, 101 young people will enter into a career via Prins Heerlijk’s ‘Special MBO in Business’.