The development pathways were set up by representatives of the digital sector, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science. They describe the latest jobs in ICT, specialisations and growth opportunities, providing information for talent looking to enter the sector, switch careers or develop their skills.
Additionally, the pathway outlines which higher education programmes – supplied by either government-approved or other providers recognised by the industry– teach the skills for specific jobs or specialisations. These programmes focus on practical learning and skills and can be combined with paid employment.
First three development pathways
The development pathways currently focus on entry-level jobs in three ICT specialisations. The remaining ICT jobs and other specialisations will be added soon. This initial version of the development pathways includes information on various mid-level professions:
- Software Engineering
- ICT Infrastructure
- ICT Support
Next up: cybersecurity
The government will soon publish the development pathways for the Digital and Information Technologies for which Topsector ICT is developing an Action Agenda: Cybersecurity Technologies and AI/Data. Stichting CA-ICT – the national training fund for the ICT labour market and contact point for development pathways focusing on ICT careers and jobs – has announced plans to develop the cybersecurity pathway in September 2025.
The development pathway for Data Engineering & Management is due to be published in 2026. Topics such as AI, digital literacy, digital architecture and Agile project management will also go live shortly.
‘As ICT careers and jobs are changing fast, the development pathways focus on lifelong talent development and skills. They represent a major resource of information and support for employers, employees and jobseekers. The ICT development pathways are a collaborative effort, creating a resilient set of career options for digital professionals,’ says CA-ICT.
Tech talent shortage
Employers are currently navigating a tough job market, with the tech talent gap forming one of the major hurdles for digital innovation. According to research by the tech trade association NLdigital, 74% of employers in the Dutch ICT sector are struggling to find staff with the right skills and 20% have been unable to fill job openings for over six months.
While the Dutch government has set a target of one million ICT professionals by 2030, recent figures from the progress report on the Digital Economy Strategy 2024, setting out how the Netherlands should become a European leader in digitalisation and the digital economy, reveal that the number remains at 670,000 and has even declined slightly.
Economic drag
A survey of over 1,000 HR managers by recruitment agency Linden-IT found that the ICT talent gap is holding back growth at 23% of organisations, in particular larger enterprises.
Recent research by TNO, commissioned by the Dutch Lower House’s standing committee for Economic Affairs in response to the Draghi report, concluded that the Netherlands is struggling to effectively convert knowledge into applications, business activity and economic value. While a deteriorating investment climate is leading an increasing number of industrial companies in R&D-intensive sectors to offshore activities, the country is also doing too little to help new start-ups scale and grow.
National Technology Strategy (NTS)
The National Technology Strategy (NTS) highlights the lack of highly educated professionals with technical expertise as a major bottleneck holding back the country from reaching its digital innovation ambitions. It outlines a doubly challenging situation: the Netherlands is producing too few ICT graduates while also facing intense competition from abroad, making it hard to retain domestic and foreign talent. The Dutch education system also places too little emphasis on valorisation and entrepreneurship, preventing leading Dutch research outcomes from finding business applications.
In this article by AG Connect, Frits Grotenhuis, director of Topsector ICT, and Pieter Moerman, director of Platform Talent voor Technologie explain why investing in digital talent has become a matter of urgency.
About Stichting CA-ICT
Active since 1997, Stichting CA-ICT aims to improve the performance of the Dutch ICT market through jobs initiatives, business training, employee retraining and employee reassignment. CA-ICT’s core activities are trainee intake, staff mobility and sustainable employment. The foundation awards grants from the European Social Fund, other grant schemes and equity capital and is governed by employer, employee and interest group representatives.
Discover more about the development pathways on CA-ICT’s website.