Speech of State Secretary Van Bijsterveldt at the American Chamber of Commerce on 29 October 2008 in Amsterdam

Mister Oberman,
Mister Culbertson,
Mister Cohen,
ladies and gentlemen,

We have come here today to talk about a wonderful project: Champs on Stage, the Mentoring and Internship Programme of the American Chamber of Commerce. This evening underscores the close links between the US and the Netherlands. It shows that together we are taking responsibility for the future of our society.

And what is more important for the future than good education? “Education is the engine of the economy.” Said Jorma Ollila, chair of the Supervisory Board of Shell, at an AmCham meeting a few weeks ago. A well-educated population is a pre-requisite for a healthy economy.

That is why I think it is fantastic that with Champs on Stage you are creating opportunities for young people, by offering work experience placements at your companies. For some young people this is more than just work experience. They receive personal attention, for example in job interview training. And it is precisely this attention that is so important for them, particularly when they have to make decisions. They have said so themselves.

Therefore, Champs on Stage is truly valuable, but it is also a project we desperately need, as the figures show.

In 2002, we had 70,000 drop outs. Last year this had dropped to 53,000 dropouts per year. That is a considerable reduction, thanks to the efforts of schools, municipalities and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. But it still comes down to 145 young people dropping out every day.

In other words: in the few hours that we are sitting here talking about them, at least fifteen young people will have left school. And that trend will continue, tomorrow, the next day and the day after. We still have a long way to go.

Dropping out is not only about school. It is a social problem.
- The chance of remaining unemployed is twice as high for school dropouts.
- School dropouts commit offences five times more often than young people who stay in school.
We need to find a solution together. It is a responsibility we all share.

Young people who complete their vocational training could be your future employees. Or your customers. Or our future leaders. It is our duty to offer these young people future prospects. They all have a talent. And we need all those talents. There is a pressing need for well-trained professionals like technicians and nurses.

Let me give you an example. The state of Michigan in the US has a drop-out rate of 50 per cent. As a result, the car industry there has collapsed, simply because there are not enough qualified people. Imagine if something like this were to happen in the Netherlands.

I would like to add one more thing. Some companies pluck young people out of school before they have even obtained a diploma. This seems a useful move in the short term. But in the long run, a well-educated professional population can contribute far more to our knowledge economy. So allow these young people the time and the opportunity to finish their studies. Then they will be even more valuable.

In the Netherlands, Minister Plasterk and I are mainly focusing on preventing early school leaving. We are working closely with municipalities and schools, and I am happy that Dominic Schrijer and Rinda den Besten are here tonight.
- We are helping schools to offer more care for their students. Many young people have mental, social or financial problems.
- In addition, we are accurately registering school absence. Absence is often an early signal that things could be going wrong.
- And finally, we are investing in career and orientation choices. Everyone benefits when young people choose a study program that suits them, complete their studies and are aware of what they can expect from their profession.

But: it is a two-way street, as you also say. It is a question of investing together: the government and the business community. Luckily, I don’t have to convince you. You represent companies that take their corporate social responsibility seriously, or are planning to do so. Because you know that in this way you will be investing in the future of these young people as well as in the future of your company.

For large companies in the U.S., but also for private persons like ex-politicians, this is almost a matter of course. Colin Powell for example, who was minister of Foreign Affairs till 2005, founded the organisation ‘America’s Promise Alliance’. He says: “Our economic and national security is at risk when we fail to educate the leaders and the workforce of the future.”

And some time ago Oprah Winfrey aired a two-part special titled ‘American Schools in Crisis’, were experts presented cutting-edge ideas about the drop-out issue. Also Time magazine teamed up with The Oprah Winfrey Show to poll 1,000 Americans – of all ages, classes and races - about their views on the educational system and high school dropouts.

By offering young people work experience placements you broaden the scope of these children. You make a direct contribution to their future, to the development of their talent. We know that two factors have a positive impact:
- A good link between the study programme and the labour market, and,
- Good career orientation and counselling.
This is reflected in the evaluation of Champs on Stage. Of the 66 students in the pilot project, only one dropped out! A magnificent performance that begs to be repeated.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A recent article in the New York Times stated that the telecom company AT&T had made a donation this spring of 100 million dollars to ‘address the problem of high school dropouts and to improve the skills of the nation’s workforce.’ The chief executive of AT&T commented as follows: “We view it like any other investment we make. It’s an investment in our future as well as the communities in which we work.”

We all need to be able to share this view. You have already made the most important move and I am very grateful for it. I hope many more companies will follow your good example. And to encourage the Champs on Stage project, I would like to support it with 10.000 euros, as a mark of my faith in this project.

I would like to wish you all an enjoyable evening and thank you for your attention.