Regional municipalities and Summa join forces to strengthen residents' basic skills

Taalkracht, part of Summa, has been the trusted contract partner for basic skills programs for adults in 14 municipalities in Southeast Brabant for many years. This collaboration is now being extended: the region and Summa are strengthening their partnership with a unique public-public partnership. This means Taalkracht will remain the permanent partner for courses and programs focused on language, math, and digital skills.

Alderman Stijn Steenbakkers (Municipality of Eindhoven): "For some of our residents, reading, writing, and keeping up digitally are not a given, while these basic skills are essential for fully participating in society. Tackling low literacy requires genuine Brainport collaboration with a strong and reliable partner. Summa has demonstrated in recent years that it fulfills this role excellently. A logical partner for
To continue building a region where everyone has the opportunity to participate. I look forward to further increasing our impact with this unique public-public partnership."

For this target group, a single, clear entry point, continuity in offerings and services, and a stable infrastructure are crucial. This leads to higher participation in the courses, resulting in greater reach and impact. In recent years, Summa has been providing the basic skills program through a tender process. By 2024, these programs and other projects with Summa will have already reached over 2500 residents in the 14 municipalities.

The current contract with Summa expired. Careful consideration was given to the best way to ensure the continuity of this service. The region is very satisfied with the quality and collaboration with Summa. Therefore, the decision was made not to re-tender but to continue the partnership for the long term in a public-public partnership.

With this structural effort, we strengthen the basic skills of vulnerable residents and support them in increasing their self-reliance. "With this structural collaboration, we're taking the next step within Brainport. A predictable infrastructure for basic skills as a foundation for lifelong development and full participation in society and the labor market. And this at 48 locations across the region, so we're within easy reach of every participant," says Régine van Lieshout, director of Taalkracht.

In the coming years, the educational partner will be working on:

• Offering modular basic skills lessons (language, digital skills, and math) for adults in 14 municipalities at 48 locations. Lessons take place during the day, in the evenings, on weekends, and during the summer holidays, ensuring that the program is available close to the target group.
• Extra attention for adults with Dutch as their first language and for AI literacy, so that residents can continue to participate better in a rapidly changing society.
• Training volunteers and strengthening cooperation with libraries, housing associations, companies and welfare organizations.

The integrated approach and services for people with limited basic skills are part of the Regional Educational Program (REP). For the period 2026-2029, the 14 regional municipalities have developed a new program with shared goals and a regional approach. One of the goals is to increase the number of vulnerable residents reached by at least 15% annually. And to have at least 60% of participants in adult education improve their language skills.

Alderman Jelle de Jong (Municipality of Son en Breugel): "As regional municipalities, we want to increase self-reliance by strengthening the basic skills of our residents who need support. A strong local network around this is important, so they don't have to do it alone. The next step in our new Regional Education Program is to implement it locally with our local partners, such as our library and the volunteers at the Language House."