My point was that if greater access to education and training opportunities lowers the gap for second generation immigrants, surely that also applies to first generation.
They all have access to education. My wife can go follow a master in European and international law in the university of Antwerp right now if she wishes to do it. It’s in English.
She can follow baking classes. Pretty much anything. Since she arrived here with a bachelor’s degree already.
The older generation that came here without formal education. They didn’t speak English. All the effort invested in them was just to teach them Dutch. There’s training at vdab for jobs that are easy to get. But these jobs don’t pay that much.
Our economy is based on human capital. We are quite competitive on this. So to compete with natives for jobs, you need to be educated from a young age.
That’s just a reality. The best paying jobs that immigrants that can’t speak the language would get would be construction.
All the effort invested in them was just to teach them Dutch. There’s training at vdab for jobs that are easy to get. But these jobs don’t pay that much.
My point was that if greater access to education and training opportunities lowers the gap for second generation immigrants, surely that also applies to first generation.
They all have access to education. My wife can go follow a master in European and international law in the university of Antwerp right now if she wishes to do it. It’s in English.
She can follow baking classes. Pretty much anything. Since she arrived here with a bachelor’s degree already.
The older generation that came here without formal education. They didn’t speak English. All the effort invested in them was just to teach them Dutch. There’s training at vdab for jobs that are easy to get. But these jobs don’t pay that much.
Our economy is based on human capital. We are quite competitive on this. So to compete with natives for jobs, you need to be educated from a young age.
That’s just a reality. The best paying jobs that immigrants that can’t speak the language would get would be construction.
So teach them better job skills.
How? How are you going to teach someone to be an engineer when the person can barely read?
Gradually.