Looking Back at First Year of IT Verband Zuid-Holland

Mid-2023, IT Verband Zuid-Holland received a €7.1 million grant from the Growth Fund to reduce the shortage of IT (security) talent in SMEs. With this grant, the alliance is implementing a €17 million programme over four years. In the first year, WE-IT, IT Campus Rotterdam, The Dutch Innovation Factory and Security Delta, together with many partners, have put their efforts into working towards this objective with training programmes, research and development projects and collaboration between SMEs & educational institutions. All of which have yielded positive results.

For example, the inflow, throughflow, and outflow of IT education into the SME sector have been strengthened. Additionally, IT and cybersecurity upskilling and reskilling have been offered to both employees and job seekers. Furthermore, collaborations with SMEs have been set up to tackle common challenges, such as a lack of training capacity on the job, and to increase sectoral cooperation through the Cyber Resilience Centers.

Highlights of activities and results in the first year

Below are some highlights of the activities and results that are achieved during this period:

• Almost all the targets set for the first project year (as of 1 July 2024) were widely achieved, including:
  - 1,070 SME employers were reached
  - 1,640 employees were assisted
  - 3,010 higher and vocational level students were reached
  - 1,178 secondary school students reached
  
  
• Synergy has been achieved in the collaboration and knowledge exchange between the four programme partners. This occurs in several ways, from the mutual exchange of successful approaches, to finding guest lecturers within the partners' networks. The governance has also been established and is active with a steering committee and advisory board. The feedback from the entrepreneurs and stakeholders in this advisory board is of great value to the programme.
  
  
• Opening of the Cybersecurity Living Lab at the Dutch Innovation Factory, where students from vocational colleges and universities collaborate with companies to learn how to deal with cybersecurity threats.
  
  
• Research has started on the IT skills needed by SMEs, led by three lectors from The Hague University of Applied Sciences.
  
  
• Organisation of events, activities and challenges:
  - Knowledge session 'Incident Response Plan for SMEs in the Horticultural Sector' organised by the Cyber Resilience Center Greenport
  - Hackathon in Rotterdam: young talent helps entrepreneurs achieve online success
  - Launch of ethical hacker’s game for secondary school students, which can be played in the classroom. The goal: to increase online safety and awareness among young people and spark their interest in the IT/cybersecurity field
  - ‘Gen-Z in IT’ event, where SMEs were taught on how to effectively engage this new generation within their organisation
  - 4th edition of Hack010: students and ethical hackers test the security of the municipality of Rotterdam
  - Challenge for secondary school students and vocational level and university students to use IT/technology in the development of a Smart Teddy for people with disabilities.

National Growth Fund

The Dutch government has granted 123 million euros to take existing collaborations a step further. The contribution comes from the National Growth Fund and is part of the Action Plan for Green and Digital Jobs. By doing so, the government aims to address the staff shortage in technology and IT, ensuring that the Netherlands can continue to focus on the energy and digital transition. The collaborations connect education and the business community, as it is essential to train young people with the right skills for the regional labour market. Additionally, employees in regional businesses must remain employable through retraining. The innovation capacity of SMEs is also being stimulated. IT Verband Zuid-Holland is one of the 15 initiatives supported by this grant.