The Dutch government is forging ahead with costly diversity training initiatives for the civil service, including courses to promote inclusivity.
De Telegraaf reported on Sunday that despite plans to slim down the number of government employees, Prime Minister Dick Schoof’s cabinet is reserving millions of euros to keep mandatory training courses on ‘inclusive recruitment and selection’ running for at least another four years.
At least €3.6 million has been earmarked for the program, which could rise to as much as €5 million, according to a new public tender that has entered into effect after the contract with the previous training provider expired.
More than 12,000 civil servants are expected to go through the basic training, while a further 2,500 will take part in advanced courses.
The requirement dates back to the liberal coalition headed by now NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte, which made it compulsory for any civil servant on a hiring committee to attend workshops aimed at “tackling bias” and conducting more “inclusive” job interviews.
The government at the time also pushed to ensure that selection committees, especially for higher-level roles, included at least one woman and were as “diverse as possible” — covering both visible and invisible differences such as gender and cultural background.
Despite the fact that the previous contract expiring provided an opportunity to ditch the schemes, the right-leaning government has actively pursued its continuation, even as the cabinet looks to cut down on the size of the civil service overall.
According to the tender documents seen by De Telegraaf, the reduction in staff “simply leads to a different recruitment issue,” but even so, the process must remain firmly “inclusive.”
The push for diversity training remains, despite lukewarm enthusiasm within the ranks. The Dutch newspaper reported that many civil servants are reluctant participants. According to an internal interview, a Diversity and Inclusion program manager at the Ministry of the Interior admitted to personally chasing down top officials to attend the courses: “When registrations didn’t go smoothly, I emailed everyone individually. If there was no reply, I followed up with phone calls.”
An explanatory video from the government’s HR department further highlights the program’s goals. A trainer in the video explains that participants are taught not to focus on traditional criteria like knowledge, experience, or qualifications but rather to identify candidates with the “right competencies” who complement the existing team.
