Summa NXT offers former students extra guidance after graduation.

With Summa NXT, Summa offers students extra support in the transition to work or further education after obtaining an MBO diploma. The initiative aligns with the From School to Sustainable Work Act and focuses on sustainable guidance, particularly in the first period after graduation.

Summa NXT deploys coaches who actively approach students with an MBO diploma at levels one and two (BOL and BBL) after graduation. They make telephone contact two to three times during the first year following graduation. The goal: to discuss together how things are going at work and at home, and to assess whether extra support is needed. If it becomes apparent during these conversations that there is a need for assistance, an expert team of Summa NXT coaches can be called upon, consisting of job coaching or life coaching. The guidance is broad. It can involve help with job applications, support with writing emails or letters, or discussing personal challenges. Even when everything is going well, there is room for contact. Job coaching can also be utilized within Summa NXT during the final year to make the transition to the labor market as successful as possible.

Summa NXT is intended for students at levels one and two in any case. For levels three and four, study programmes themselves determine which students are approached. Around the time of graduation, study programmes already inform students about this aftercare, so that it is clear what they can expect.

In previous years, the project was made possible by subsidies for aftercare and is now included in the School to Sustainable Work Act . This act refers to supplementary career guidance. According to project leader Judith de Kloe, supplementary guidance is only possible if it is clear how the basic arrangements are organized. Therefore, a clear vision on career guidance during the training is important.

There is a clear link between Summa NXT and the Regional VSV Program, which covers, among other things, support in schools, care, and employment. An important component of this is regional cooperation, for example with municipalities, transfer points, and other educational institutions. This cooperation requires investment and continuity, particularly when contact persons change. Experience shows that working with coaches from the local region aligns better with students than collaborating with coaches from another region.

In addition, a pilot has been launched within the nursing program in which a Summa lecturer supervises students not only during their internship but also for a year after graduation in the workplace. This works well in sectors where multiple graduates work in one location, such as hospitals and elderly care. For other sectors, such as construction, this is more difficult to organize, but the idea aligns well with the need to retain skilled professionals. A follow-up article will be dedicated to this practical example.

Summa has now structurally embedded aftercare under the name Summa NXT in its policy. For, in addition to the clear link with the aforementioned vision on career guidance, aftercare aligns perfectly with Summa's vision that good education does not stop at graduation, but rather continues in guiding students towards sustainable independence and employment.