RAI Amsterdam welcomes students of Skills The Finals

On Thursday 20 and Friday 21 March, Skills The Finals – also known as the Dutch National Skills Championships – will take place at RAI Amsterdam. Over 600 students from VMBO (pre-vocational secondary education) and MBO (senior secondary vocational education) – from chefs to technicians and from bricklayers to beauty experts – will go head-to-head in more than 60 skills competitions over the two days.

In addition, around one hundred interactive activities will be spread across eight different “worlds of work”, giving young people the opportunity to try out various professions for themselves. These activities include operating a digger or stepping inside a replica rocket. The event aims to shine a spotlight on vocational education and the importance of skilled trades.

Alderman Sofyan Mbarki and RAI CEO Paul Riemens highlight how essential skilled professionals are to the (Amsterdam) economy.

Amsterdam Internship Pact
RAI Amsterdam is a proud partner in the Amsterdam Internship Pact, a local initiative to improve access to high-quality internships. The pact ensures that every MBO student in Amsterdam has access to a suitable internship with proper guidance from their educational institution.

As part of the pact, participating organisations immediately start offering fair internship allowances to MBO students – equal to those of students in HBO (higher professional education, comparable to universities of applied sciences) and WO (academic university education). They also commit to quality supervision, sufficient internship opportunities, and actively combating internship discrimination. The pact has been widely embraced by employers due to the growing demand for qualified professionals.

In a step towards greater inclusivity and equality, RAI Amsterdam has aligned its internship allowance for both MBO and HBO students at €750 per month. All applications are handled anonymously. Through these measures, RAI aims to contribute to a more inclusive labour market and demonstrates its commitment to fair recognition of all interns, regardless of their level of education.

Where most companies determine allowances based on the level of study, RAI Amsterdam has deliberately chosen an inclusive approach. As part of the Amsterdam Internship Pact, RAI invites other companies to follow suit and rethink how interns are valued. “We hope this decision will have a positive impact on interns’ wellbeing and inspire others to make equal pay a priority,” says RAI CEO Paul Riemens.