The HERA Lab in the Netherlands is now underway at Rotterdam School of Management, where more than 20 women aged 45+ joined the initial phase to build connections and explore themes linked to career transitions, labour market changes, and personal development. The Lab is embedded in a broader local ecosystem that brings together stakeholders from education, employment, and relevant productive sectors, helping ensure that individual development pathways are aligned with labour market realities.
In practice, the Lab sessions provide a structured and supportive environment where participants can reflect on their existing skills and experiences, identify priorities for their next career steps, and explore realistic routes for upskilling or reskilling. Discussions focus on how digitalisation and sustainability trends are reshaping roles across sectors, and what this means for women who want to re-enter the labour market, change direction, or strengthen their professional position. Alongside peer exchange, the Lab approach helps participants connect personal ambitions with concrete opportunities, including training options, emerging job profiles, and local support services.
The Netherlands Lab is supported by the local partner organisation Reshaping Work, which supports the evaluation work focuses on assessing the outcomes of the policy experiments by measuring changes in participants’ attitudes, motivation, and perceptions, to understand how effective the HERA Lab approach is in supporting women aged 45+ in lifelong learning and employment pathways.
From the early sessions, participants showed strong engagement, not only in the learning activities but also in building peer support. Several participants continued meeting weekly in self-organised groups, taking ownership of their journeys and actively shaping the next steps in their professional and personal development. As highlighted by Sevda Rizehkar, Research Coordinator of the HERA project, the collective energy in the Lab reflects what can emerge when women are given the space to connect, reflect, and grow, grounded in mutual support, curiosity, and courage.
Looking ahead, the Netherlands HERA Lab will continue to strengthen links with local stakeholders to support progression from reflection and planning into concrete actions, such as connecting with relevant training providers, mentoring opportunities, and employment pathways. Insights gathered through the Lab and its stakeholder network will also inform the project’s wider work on scalable approaches and policy recommendations that can support women aged 45+ across different contexts.
