The whole of the Netherlands is investing in large-scale production, import and application of green hydrogen, because this energy carrier is essential for the success of the energy transition. Companies, government and knowledge institutions are working on a suitable pipeline infrastructure and encouraging their use in industry, heavy transport and the built environment. Looking at the different regions in the Netherlands, there are specific issues in the field of hydrogen. In coastal areas and the Northern Netherlands, for example, a lot of green electricity comes in to make hydrogen and there can be a large supply of green hydrogen from imports in the ports. In Limburg and the West and Northwest Netherlands, industry is demanding the use of hydrogen in production processes and as an energy carrier. And the manufacturing industry in central and eastern Netherlands, for example, is essential for the development and production of electrolysers and necessary peripheral equipment. These differences require different people with different qualities.

Six regions publish roadmaps for human capital

In GroenkrachtNL's national human capital program, colleges, secondary vocational education, companies, governments and other trainers work together on innovations for recruitment, training and retraining. GroenkrachtNL assumes 6 regions in the Netherlands: North, Northwest, East, West, Southwest and Southeast. The hydrogen program stimulates the development of the required hydrogen professionals per region and ensures coherence and cooperation between the six regions. Such a region consists of colleges, secondary vocational education, companies, governments and other trainers. All parties needed to work, learn and innovate equally.

Read the roadmaps and background articles on the GroenkrachtNL website.

Ambitions for green hydrogen

Over the past year, the regions have each developed a regional roadmap with their ambitions for green hydrogen. This includes, among other things, what demand there is for professionals and knowledge, what training offerings are needed and which parties are involved. For example, in the Southwest region, roughly Zeeland, there are few people living there and small training courses. The roadmap therefore focuses primarily on retaining and retraining the approximately 50,000 technical professionals in Zeeland for the energy transition, including hydrogen. The roadmap of the Northwest region (North Holland and Flevoland) focuses mainly on developing skills profiles and matching training modules for hydrogen professionals and on making educational programs available.

More about the highlights per region

Learning, innovation and working: learning communities

Investing in learning communities is an ambition that is reflected in every roadmap. These public-private partnerships bring together 'learning, innovation and working'. The basic principle in these communities is that innovations are quickly applied in the practice of companies and must be incorporated into education and training programs. To keep up with innovations, continuous learning is required at every level, in every company. In learning communities, new educational modules are developed, up-to-date training facilities are offered, teachers are trained, training and lateral entry programs for professionals are carried out and SMEs can ask their knowledge questions.

Roadmaps provide direction for investments

GroenkrachtNL's regional roadmaps provide the regions with direction for investments. Next autumn they will form consortia to put the roadmaps into practice. A multi-year investment incentive is currently being prepared for this by GroenkrachtNL.

The roadmaps also indicate how they want to combine this commitment with other investments outside GroenfondsNL. Consider, for example, your own regional resources, the LLO-Katalysator, Scaling up PPP Vocational Education and the Just Transition Fund. These programs also help regions to train people for the energy transition. GroenkrachtNL collaborates nationally and regionally with these programs.