Supporting student well-being in Vocational Education: Insights from Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam, Netherlands

By Karin Hut & Jolanda de Vreede

We recently had the opportunity to share our experiences and insights from our work at Grafisch Lyceum Rotterdam (GLR)– one of the largest schools in the Netherlands for the media industry. With over 4,500 students aged 12 to 22 and 450 staff members, we specialize in preparing young people for careers in media, design, and technology. But beyond vocational training, we’re deeply invested in student well-being – an area where we’ve seen significant change and growing challenges.

Understanding the Mental Health Landscape

National statistics on mental health in the Netherlands show an alarming trend. While 72% of youth rated their well-being positively before the COVID-19 pandemic, this sharply declined during 2021 and has only partially recovered since schools reopened. Students report steady levels of general happiness (82%) and health (85%), but a striking discrepancy exists between their experiences in free time versus school – 93% feel happy in their free time, but only 63% at school.

Even more concerning: increasing numbers of students seek help for mental health struggles, and suicidal thoughts are being reported more often. Stress remains the most commonly cited cause of discomfort, particularly related to performance pressure. Notably, students often name themselves as the source of this pressure – followed by perceived expectations from teachers, society, parents, social media, and peers.

Growing Need of Support

From our vantage point as teachers, the situation is even more complex. Despite statistics suggesting recovery, we see more and more students struggling emotionally. Requests for mental health support at GLR have risen sharply. In 2021, 97 students requested additional intake support for emotional or mental health concerns; the following year, this more than doubled to 215.

A growing challenge we face is the increasing number of students entering school without any prior prescreening or diagnosis related to mental health needs. This has become, in a way, a form of collateral damage — not in a pleasant sense. Nowadays, the number of students arriving without a diagnosis or formal screening exceeds those who come in with identified needs. As a result, schools like ours can no longer rely on external systems to detect issues early. We must take proactive action ourselves to identify and support these students from day one.

We also observe more students questioning their study paths – in one recent year, 263 students sought help to evaluate if their studies were the right fit. Despite the slight statistical decrease in official support numbers, our day-to-day experience tells a different story: the need for care is very much growing.

Are We Seeing a Generation Shift?

This brings up important questions. Are we dealing with a generation – Gen Z – that is more vocal about mental health and perfectionism? Do they feel more pressure to excel than previous generations? Are we, as educators and institutions, equipped to support these evolving needs?

Moreover, with mental health services across the Netherlands severely overloaded – often with six-month wait times – schools like ours are increasingly becoming the default support system. We worry that vocational schools are becoming “waiting rooms” for external care services.

Building a Culture of Support

GLR is known for its open, inclusive culture and well-established support infrastructure, which might explain why students with support needs gravitate to us. Here’s a snapshot of what we do:

• Intake and Individual Support: All students complete a wellbeing screening at intake. Those needing additional support receive a personalized care plan.
• Multi-Level Care System:
  • Primary Care: Classroom mentors, student coordinators, and career coaches.
  • Secondary Care: School social workers, psychologists, and inclusive education coordinators.
  • Tertiary Care: External mental health services – accessed when necessary.
• Staff Development: Teachers receive ongoing training in student support, mental health awareness, and communication.
• Mental Health Modules: Our curriculum now includes modules on sleep, anxiety management, breathing techniques, yoga, ADHD, and more. These modules are very popular among students.
• Mentor Relationships: We’ve seen students increasingly rely on their mentors – a positive development that deepens student-teacher connection.
• Sensory Regulation Lab: A new initiative where students can explore overstimulation triggers – from noise to smell to textures – and learn regulation strategies.
• Financial Well-being: We run a personal finance and budgeting program to prevent student debt, especially in the face of buy-now-pay-later platforms like Klarna.
• Orientation Week: Special needs students are invited for a pre-semester orientation to ease their transition into school life.

A Call for Shared Solutions

As we move forward, we are eager to connect with educators globally. Are you seeing similar trends at your school? Is Gen Z’s experience with mental health mirroring what we see in the Netherlands? How are your institutions adapting to meet these needs? We are especially curious about your experiences with chatbots and digital well-being tools – we’re exploring a pilot and would love to learn from others already on this path. Let’s continue the conversation. We’re committed to creating supportive, inclusive learning environments where all students – regardless of their challenges – can thrive.

Thank you for reading, and thank you to all our international colleagues who inspire us with their insights and care.