Across much of Europe, regions are facing a growing challenge: how to attract, develop and retain talent in an increasingly competitive labour market. In the Netherlands, there were more job vacancies than unemployed people from 2022-24.
Labour shortages are likely to remain a long-term challenge – and prompt calls for a new response.
Labour market tightness in the Netherlands. Source: https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/visualisaties/dashboard-arbeidsmarkt/spanning-op-de-arbeidsmarkt.
Part of the problem is that pupils and students often have limited awareness of the job opportunities, employers and skills in their own region. Many students select a field of study without having a clear understanding of the career opportunities it may lead to.
Research in the Netherlands indicates that one-in-three students already questions their study choice during their first year, while dropout rates during the initial months can be substantial depending on the programme.
Although educational institutions often provide extensive information about their programmes and qualifications, they offer relatively little insight into local labour market demand, working life, future career prospects, or regional employers.
Research from Meet the Youngsters among 250 students show that between 80-90% of companies are virtually unknown to young people. Even when students recognise a company name, they often know little about the organisation’s activities, workplace culture, or career opportunities.
Meanwhile sectors facing the greatest labour shortages frequently struggle to overcome negative perceptions of the work they offer. As a result, many young people underestimate the opportunities available within their own region and are more inclined to move elsewhere to study or seek employment, contributing to regional brain drain.
Broadening horizons for young people living in border regions
In border regions, young people are often unaware of educational and career opportunities available just across national borders, even though such opportunities may significantly improve their employment prospects.
Looking for employment across the border can dramatically increase the number of potential jobs available to individuals. In Venlo, located in the province of Limburg close to the German border, few domestic jobs are available within an acceptable travel time, placing it in the 41st place out of the 50 largest Dutch municipalities in terms of job opportunities.
When considering jobs across national borders, Venlo ranks in 6th place with 1 500 to 1 750 available jobs, just behind the cities of the Randstad, such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
Expanding opportunities through cross-border labour markets. The number of accessible jobs increases significantly when national borders are no longer considered barriers to employment. Source: https://atlasresearch.nl/wp-content/uploads/Atlas-voor-gemeenten-2019.pdf
Moving beyond project-based approaches for youth in all regions
Expanding geographical horizons is only part of the solution. More opportunities do not automatically lead to better choices if young people are unaware of them or lack meaningful ways to connect with employers.
The challenge for regions is not simply to increase access to opportunities, but to create a continuous pathway through which young people can discover, explore and act on them. The way career orientation and employer engagement are organised becomes critical.
Across Europe education-to-labour-market initiatives remain fragmented, short-term and grant-dependent, with programmes often designed around funding cycles rather than lasting impact, and shaped by institutional priorities rather than young people’s needs.
As a result, events are treated as one-off activities rather than steps in an ongoing journey of career orientation, exploration, matching and follow-up. As a result, valuable interactions often end when the event does. Meet the Youngsters tackles this by building a chain approach and a sustainable business model that keeps activities and partnerships running beyond a single project and operating across national borders.
An innovative, youth-centred approach
One important component of Meet the Youngsters is the use of serious gaming. Interactive digital experiences align closely with the way young people learn and explore. Examples include mobile escape rooms and immersive virtual reality experiences that enable students to discover professions and workplaces in an engaging and memorable way.
Rather than simply receiving information, participants actively experience potential career pathways.
Another practical example can be seen in a secondary school in Germany, where immersive technologies were used to help pupils explore future careers and workplaces in an interactive manner. This example demonstrates how technology can support career orientation at an early stage and increase engagement among young people.
Recognition of the Meet the Youngsters methodology at the Global Metaverse Conference 2025, where the initiative received the Best Industry Paper Award.
A second component is the integration of physical events with a digital matching platform. Events remain valuable, but their impact increases significantly when they are embedded within an ecosystem that enables preparation, matching before the event (so you know which company to talk to), and follow-up opportunities after the event for both students and employers.
This model is already being applied successfully through collaborations with educational institutions and regional stakeholders.
“[It] helps us engage young talent in our projects in an accessible and effective way. Together, we’re building a future where innovation and talent development go hand in hand,” said Dave Beijer, CEO of CHILL.
Another good example is the “Meet Your Next Step” event in Maastricht, where students and employers participate in targeted matching sessions designed to strengthen talent retention within the city and surrounding region. During the event, participants are matched with relevant employers based on their interests and ambitions, enabling more meaningful conversations and improving the likelihood of successful long-term connections between talent and employers.
Retaining regional talent
There are several lessons for regions seeking to strengthen talent retention and labour market matching:
1. Invest in long-term ecosystems rather than short-term projects
Many successful initiatives disappear when project funding ends. Policymakers should prioritise sustainable models and partnerships with employers that enable activities and partnerships to continue beyond individual funding cycles.
2. Introduce labour-market awareness earlier in education
Career orientation should start well before students make critical educational choices. Young people need accessible information about regional companies, career opportunities, growth sectors, and future labour market demand.
3. Leverage digital platforms to extend the impact of events
Career events can be valuable, but their impact is significantly enhanced when supported by digital tools that facilitate preparation, matching, follow-up and long-term relationship building.
4. Promote cross-border labour-market integration
In border regions, policymakers should actively encourage cross-border talent mobility and increase awareness of educational and employment opportunities beyond national boundaries. This can substantially expand opportunities for both young people and employers.
5. Focus on young people’s perspective
Talent policies should be designed around the needs, interests and behaviour of young people. Experiential approaches, such as serious gaming, immersive technologies and personalised matching, can significantly increase engagement and effectiveness
Regions cannot afford to leave talent discovery to chance.
Creating jobs is not enough: young people also need to see, understand and experience the opportunities available around them. When schools, employers and regional actors work together, across sectors and borders, young people are better equipped to make informed choices and build careers closer to home. The opportunity is already there. The next step is helping young people see it.
Jos Meessen attended the OECD Global Forum on Local Development 2026. To learn more about the network, click here.
Jos Meessenis the founder of Meet the Youngsters, an organization dedicated to connecting young talent with employers. Passionate about employer branding, skills based talent development, and strengthening the link between education and business, he creates opportunities that help students and young professionals discover meaningful career paths while supporting organizations in attracting the next generation of talent.
Under his leadership, Meet the Youngsters has grown into a recognized network in the Euregion of Maastricht – Leuven – Aachen – Venlo. A key part of his vision is theMeet the Youngsters platform, which provides continuous engagement between employers and young talent beyond one-time events.