COMMUNICATION
Human Capital Agenda
Human capital is the stock of competences and performances that the labour force possesses, the oil in the machine. It is key to realizing ambitions raising quality and to being able to fully develop promising new techniques and insights that keep us on the forefront of science and innovation. That is why Health~Holland, under the direction of Geri Bonhof, has drafted a Human Capital Agenda. Two round table sessions with experts from life sciences and health, as well as desk research, resulted in an analysis that, together with the Knowledge and Innovation Agenda 2016/2017, forms the sound basis of the strategy, adopted by the Top Team LSH on September 20.
The Human Capital Agenda LSH cannot be seen in isolation. We have cross overs with other sectors such as the creative industry in the health field (e.g. Create Health within Click.nl) and the chemical industry and high tech systems and materials with life sciences. Big data and information technology are increasingly prominent in both life sciences and health. As technology changes the skills needed for each profession, workers will have to adjust. That means making education and training flexible enough to teach new skills quickly and efficiently. It also requires a greater emphasis on lifelong learning and on-the-job training.
Vital tool
Education is a vital tool to implementation, initialization and integration of knowledge and innovation. It should be effective and inspiring. Education comes in many forms, from the traditional methods to MOOCs, video-game-style simulation and field labs. A good match between the qualifications taught in classrooms to the knowledge and competences needed on the work floor is necessary. Entrepreneurs and companies in the fields of life sciences and health must therefore be engaged in educating both students and experienced professionals. Interactions between student and innovators are necessary, in a class rooms as well as in a living lab’s. We will stimulate development of ” top notch “ education and share best practices. In future newsletters you will read about inspiring examples.
Life sciences
The life sciences sector is internationally orientated. To stimulate the establishment of start-ups and create an attractive environment for companies, the presence of professionals with the right qualifications and skills, from lab assistants and engineers to data scientists, is crucial.
From bio-informatics and big data to good manufacturing practices and entrepreneurial skills, companies in the field of life sciences have special demands and we want to boost development of talent and cooperation between the life science sector and educational institutions. From developments in regional business parks to cross-border cooperation between The Netherlands and Belgium, we stimulate and communicate initiatives in education that help us reach that goal, a present and future workforce, eager and ready to contribute to a thriving life sciences sector, as an important pillar of our knowledge-driven economy and society.
Health
The health sector in The Netherlands is challenged by exciting developments such as regenerative medicine and personalized health, the 4th industrial revolution, as well as keeping the health system affordable with a growing aging population. Technological challenges come with ethical questions. Exciting new possibilities for research and development across disciplines – not only in the fields of life sciences and health but also on the topics of learning and education - were recently identified in the workshops initiated by the Dutch national Research Agenda.
Health~Holland brings together health foundations, knowledge organizations, entrepreneurs and the private sector and also aim to do that in education, for students as well as professionals. On top of that initiating and stimulating cross sectoral initiatives through the overall Human Capital Agenda. We will keep you posted about the Human Capital Agenda in these two-monthly updates and on the Health-Holland website!
Find the Human Capital Agenda here (PDF).
