Onderwijsregio Rijnmond

What Onderwijsregio Rijnmond does

Onderwijsregio Rijnmond is a regional educational consortium in the Rijnmond area of the Netherlands that coordinates collaboration among 21 secondary education (VO) school boards, 1 vocational education (MBO) board, 1 combined MBO/VO board, 3 teacher training institutes (Hogeschool Rotterdam, SEC TU Delft, ICLON Leiden), and 2 training schools (RPO Rijnmond, SCOOL), spanning 22 municipalities. Its mandate is to address the regional teacher shortage by aligning recruitment, training, induction, professional development, and retention across participating institutions through five programme lines: Samen Opleiden, Samen Begeleiden, Samen Professionaliseren, Arbeidsmarkt & Zij-instroom, and Innoveren & Experimenteren.

The consortium's product portfolio includes the DOK Rijnmond regional professionalisation platform (knowledge sharing and marketplace), the LerarenPool regional teacher replacement pool, the Leraar van Buiten lateral-entry intake hub (operated jointly with Haaglanden and 't Groene Hart), the Wereldburgers voor de Klas programme for internationally educated refugees, the Sterke Start voor de Klas starting-teacher induction programme, the annual Rijnmond Connect event, and the RSPP (Regionale Strategische Personeelsplanning) HR/workforce dashboard. Delivery is organised through three geographic clusters (Zuid Holland Zuid, Nieuwe Waterweg Noord, Voorne Putten Rozenburg) served by clustermakelaars (cluster brokers), supported by an HR-netwerk, professional learning networks (PLGs), and a podcast series on innovation.

The business model is fully subsidised: Stichting OZHW serves as the administrative lead (penvoerder), holding legal responsibility for the OCW (Ministry of Education) multi-year subsidy channelled via the VO-raad. There is no commercial pricing — all services are free to participating schools and teachers — and the consortium does not generate revenue in the conventional sense. Marius Bilkes serves as Programmamanager, supported by Reinoud de Vries (Voorzitter College van Bestuur OZHW) and a small coordination team of project leaders and clustermakelaars.

Name

Onderwijsregio Rijnmond

Legal name

Stichting OZHW

Website

https://onderwijsregiorijnmond.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Onderwijsregio Rijnmond is a publicly funded regional educational consortium coordinating 21+ school boards, 3 teacher training institutes, and 2 training schools across 22 Rijnmond municipalities to address the teacher shortage through joint recruitment, training, professional development, and retention programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Education Workforce Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (611310)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Teacher Professional Development & In-Service Training Institutes (EDAHAFAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Teacher Training, Professional Development & Education Leadership (BPADAKAC), TESOL / Bilingual / World Language Teacher Preparation Programs (EDAHAFAI)

Keywords

• Teacher workforce development
• Regional education collaboration
• Teacher training programs
• Education professional development
• School HR services

Headquarters

HQ city

Barendrecht

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Government subsidy / grant funding: Onderwijsregio Rijnmond is funded primarily through government subsidies channelled via the Netherlands Ministry of Education (OCW), administered through the VO-raad. The subsidy cycle covers multi-year periods (e.g., 2026-2029 application submitted). All services offered to schools and teaching professionals are free of charge. The organisation does not generate commercial revenue.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Onderwijsregio Rijnmond is a regional coordination consortium that addresses teacher shortages across the full career lifecycle by organizing five program lines: Samen Opleiden (joint teacher training with training schools RPO Rijnmond and SCOOL), Samen Begeleiden (induction, coaching, and intervisie for starting teachers), Samen Professionaliseren (collective professional development via the DOK Rijnmond platform), Arbeidsmarkt en Zij-instroom (lateral-entry pipeline including Leraar van Buiten, LerarenPool, and Wereldburgers voor de Klas), and Innoveren en Experimenteren (innovation networks and pilots). It connects 21 VO school boards, MBO school boards, 3 teacher training institutes, and 2 training schools across 22 municipalities.

Product overview

Onderwijsregio Rijnmond is a regional cooperation of 21 vo-school boards, 1 mbo-school board, 1 mbo/vo-school board, 3 teacher training programs, and 2 training schools (RPO Rijnmond and SCOOL) operating across 22 municipalities. The organization offers a portfolio of interconnected programs and platforms: DOK Rijnmond serves as the regional professionalization platform for knowledge sharing and development; LerarenPool provides a regional substitute teacher matching service; SCOOL and RPO Rijnmond are training schools that jointly train future teachers; Leraar van Buiten supports career switchers entering teaching; and Wereldburgers voor de Klas assists internationally educated talent. Together, these offerings form a comprehensive ecosystem addressing teacher recruitment, training, professional development, and retention.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rijnmond Connect Annual networking event for education professionals in the Rijnmond region featuring keynotes, workshops, and interactive sessions on educational topics. The 2025 edition featured Lammert Kamphuis and Ismail Aghzanay; the 2026 edition featured Ivo Brughmans.
• DOK Rijnmond Regional professionalization platform (Delen en Ontwikkelen van Kennis) that serves as a meeting place, marketplace, and learning environment for education professionals in the Rijnmond region, aggregating professional development offerings across participating schools.
• LerarenPool Regional replacement pool that connects experienced teachers available for temporary replacement assignments with schools that have substitute needs, creating a win-win situation for the entire region.
• SCOOL Opleidingsschool Innovative training school (Samen Contextrijk Ontwerpend en Ondernemend Leren) that prepares future-oriented teachers for vmbo, havo, vwo, and mbo education through work-based learning, SCOOL lab, and hackathons. Formed by Hogeschool Rotterdam, TU Delft, ICLON Leiden, and Lentiz onderwijsgroep; supports approximately 125 teachers in training annually.
• RPO Rijnmond One of the largest training schools in the Netherlands, formed by 21 school boards and three teacher training programmes, offering more than 750 student positions annually for first and second-degree teachers in vo and mbo. Spans from Hellevoetsluis to Ottoland and from Schiedam to Klaaswaal.
• Leraar van Buiten The largest regional service desk in the Netherlands for career switchers (zij-instromers) wanting to enter teaching, offering orientation activities, online information sessions, school visits, theme sessions, matching services, and support for a good start in education. Operated jointly by Rijnmond, Haaglanden, and 't Groene Hart onderwijsregio's.
• Wereldburgers voor de Klas Programme for highly educated refugees and status holders (statushouders) with recognised teaching qualifications from their home countries, providing intensive guidance, workshops, and Dutch language training to become teachers in the Netherlands.
• Sterke Start voor de Klas Programme focused on the guidance and induction of starting teachers (BSL), aimed at improving educational quality, promoting good employer practices, and retaining teachers in education within the Rijnmond region.

Quantifiable outcome

• RPO Rijnmond: more than 750 student placements per year, hundreds of teachers trained since 2008
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and supporting.

• Da Vinci CollegemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Da Vinci College — a major MBO institution with more than 160 programmes — joined Onderwijsregio Rijnmond effective 2025, strengthening the MBO pillar of the regional collaboration. According to Ingrid Tuinenburg (College van Bestuur), the partnership aims to jointly strengthen the position of education as an employer in the regional labour market.
• RPO Rijnmond (Opleidingsschool)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRPO Rijnmond is one of two opleidingsscholen (training schools) within Onderwijsregio Rijnmond, formed by a collaboration of 21 school boards and three teacher training institutes. It is one of the largest training schools in the Netherlands, spanning from Hellevoetsluis to Ottoland and from Schiedam to Klaaswaal. RPO offers more than 750 student placements annually for first- and second-degree teachers in VO, MBO, and green education. Contact: Hester van de Kuilen ([email protected]).
• SCOOL OpleidingsschoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCOOL (Samen Contextrijk Ontwerpend en Ondernemend Leren) is an innovative training school formed by a partnership of Hogeschool Rotterdam, TU Delft, ICLON Leiden, and Lentiz onderwijsgroep. SCOOL trains approximately 125 teachers in training annually for vmbo, havo, vwo, and MBO. It received a positive peer-review assessment and is now officially recognised as an opleidingsschool. Contact: Marrit van Sprundel ([email protected]). Website: www.scoolopleidingsschool.nl.
• Hogeschool RotterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHogeschool Rotterdam is one of the three teacher training institutes (lerarenopleidingen) that collaborates within Onderwijsregio Rijnmond through the opleidingsscholen RPO and SCOOL. It provides the theoretical component of teacher training and participates in workplace learning coordination.
• SEC TU DelftcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSEC (Science Education Centre) TU Delft is one of three teacher training institutes participating in Onderwijsregio Rijnmond, contributing to the opleidingsscholen RPO and SCOOL with a focus on science and technical teacher training.
• ICLON Leiden (Universiteit Leiden)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerICLON (Interfacultair Centrum voor Lerarenonderzoek) at Leiden University is one of three teacher training institutes participating in Onderwijsregio Rijnmond, contributing to both RPO and SCOOL opleidingsscholen with university-level teacher training.
• Lentiz OnderwijsgroepcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLentiz Onderwijsgroep is a school board and educational group that partners with Hogeschool Rotterdam, TU Delft, and ICLON Leiden to form the SCOOL opleidingsschool. SCOOL operates across green education (vmbo) and general secondary education.
• VO-raad (Association of Dutch Secondary Education)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe VO-raad is the national association for secondary education in the Netherlands and a key strategic partner. The VO-raad co-finances the HR Business Partner Pool pilot and is involved in the national framework for onderwijsregio's, providing policy alignment and national-level support.
• RSPP (Regionale Strategische Personeelsplanning)supportingTechnology or IntegrationThe RSPP dashboard tool is used by Onderwijsregio Rijnmond to aggregate and analyse HR and workforce data from school boards across the region. This instrument replaces the previous Scenariomodel VO and provides insights into age distribution, qualifications, and contract types. Eight school boards had submitted data by the time of reporting.
• Leraar van Buiten (programme, shared with Haaglanden and 't Groene Hart)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeraar van Buiten is a collaborative lateral-entry programme operated jointly by three onderwijsregio's: Rijnmond, Haaglanden, and 't Groene Hart. It is the largest regional intake portal in the Netherlands for second-career teachers, with 500 orientation participants, 30 information sessions, 50 school visits, and 15 theme sessions per cycle. Onderwijsregio Rijnmond serves as the regional hub for lateral entry in its territory.
• Ministerie van OCW (Ministry of Education, Culture and Science)coreOthersThe Dutch Ministry of Education (OCW) provides the primary subsidy funding for Onderwijsregio Rijnmond. The ministry's Realisatie Eenheid (Implementation Unit) oversees the national onderwijsregio framework. Funding cycles cover multi-year periods (current application submitted for 2026-2029).
• Stichting OZHW (penvoerder)coreOthersStichting OZHW acts as the administrative lead (penvoerder) for Onderwijsregio Rijnmond. OZHW holds the formal legal responsibility for the subsidy and operational administration of the regional collaboration, with Postbus 206, 2990 AE Barendrecht as its address.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• VO-raad: National association of Dutch secondary education school boards and co-financing partner of Onderwijsregio Rijnmond's HR Business Partner Pool pilot. Sets the policy framework under which all onderwijsregio's operate, making it a broader incumbent with overlapping interests in teacher workforce policy.

Direct peers

• Onderwijsregio Haaglanden: Neighbouring Dutch onderwijsregio co-operating the Leraar van Buiten lateral-entry portal with Rijnmond and 't Groene Hart. Operates under the same national OCW framework with parallel programme lines (Samen Opleiden, Samen Begeleiden, etc.) and serves as the most direct comparable in structure and mandate.
• Onderwijsregio Amsterdam: Large Dutch onderwijsregio coordinating school boards and teacher training institutions in the Amsterdam metropolitan area. Comparable in mandate, programme structure, and government funding model, though operating at significantly larger urban scale.
• Onderwijsregio 't Groene Hart: Third co-operator of the Leraar van Buiten intake portal alongside Rijnmond and Haaglanden. Operates the same five-programme-line model under OCW subsidy with regional school boards and teacher training institutes, making it a structurally identical peer.
• Onderwijsregio Utrecht: Regional onderwijsregio covering Utrecht province, addressing the same teacher shortage, lateral entry, and professional development challenges under the same OCW framework. Directly comparable in mission and structure.
• Onderwijsregio Leiden: Regional educational consortium in the Leiden area, closely connected to Onderwijsregio Rijnmond through ICLON Leiden's participation and Marius Bilkes' prior involvement in its development. Operates a near-identical five-programme-line model.

Others

• Stichting Platformsamenwerking Onderwijsregio's: National platform organisation bringing together Dutch onderwijsregio's to share best practices, coordinate joint programmes, and align with national OCW policy. Indirect peer as the meta-coordination layer above regional onderwijsregio's like Rijnmond.
• NRO (Netherlands Initiative for Education Research): National organisation funding and disseminating education research, including research relevant to teacher professional development and regional workforce planning. Adjacent enabler of evidence-based practice in onderwijsregio's.

Emerging players

• Hogeschool Rotterdam: One of three teacher training institutes partnering with Onderwijsregio Rijnmond via RPO Rijnmond and SCOOL opleidingsscholen. Provides the theoretical training pipeline that the regional consortium complements with workplace learning, making it a core upstream partner and partial functional peer.

Regional players

• RPO West-Nederland: Regional opleidingsschool network in Western Netherlands covering a different geographic territory than Rijnmond. Comparable as a teacher-training-school partnership model but serving a distinct regional cluster of school boards.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCRkpwxiwbSM91vGVG4Tsxkw
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/onderwijsregio-rijnmond

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Onderwijsregio Rijnmond