Voka opens Talent Center in Research Park: “Scientifically substantiated way to make study choices”

At the Talent Center in Zellik, classes and schools from Flemish Brabant and Brussels can take individual tests that lead to a personal talent report. Students perform tests in four categories. The first results from the Talent Centers show that boys show more interest in STEM fields than girls, but that girls have just as much talent and aptitude for science and technology as boys. “We hope that the personal talent reports will open the eyes of many young people and parents and will later lead to a more balanced labor market,” says Julie Beysens, senior education advisor at Voka.

The Talent Centers are supported by Flemish Minister of Education Ben Weyts (N-VA): “Our young people only receive quality education if they are also in a field of study that best suits their talents,” he says. “That’s where the shoe sometimes pinches. There are still parents who see ASO as a standard option, even though their child’s talents lie elsewhere.”

Even before the opening, the Talent Center in Zellik was already full for this school year. “That shows how great the need is for a scientifically substantiated way to make a study choice,” says managing director of Voka Vlaams-Brabant Kris Claes. “There is a wide range, which means that young people can sometimes no longer see the forest for the trees. With this initiative we offer them clarity.”