Bottom-up Innovation: Healthy and happy to work in vocational eductation.

The working population in vocational education is growing old. Besides the ageing of this part of our workforce, teachers in this field suffer more frequently than workers in other sectors from burnout. Furthermore, absence rates are higher in vocational education than in other sectors. The ageing, burnout and absence rates endanger the sustainable workability of these teachers and staff.



Therefore the process-oriented 'Heuristic Method' intervention is implemented in two vocational education institutes, aiming to stimulate happy and healthy work in this field. A main element of this intervention is the involvement of relevant stakeholders at all phases of intervention (i.e. prepare, research, develop, implement). The exact intervention will only be determined in the development phase of the intervention, in line with othter frameworks for intervention (e.g. Intervention Mapping Protocol).



This study will be conducted as a controlled trial and evaluated by means of an effect evaluation at 3 and 12 months after implementation. Besides workability, burnout and absenteism, secondary outcomes are a.o.: social support, autonomy, developing possibilities and work engagement.

After implementation of the intervention the sustainable workability of teachers and staff in the intervention group will be significantly higher than the sustainable workability of those in the control group, both direclty after intervention and in the long term (12 months).

Measurements will take place at baseline, 3 and 12 months.

Measurements will include validated questionnaires (Job Content Questionnaire, Work Ability Index) and interviews with the participants and executors.

The Heuristic Method (DHM), developed by Heijting Weerts Group, will be applied to teachers and staff in vocational education, in a controlled trial. This proces-oriented intervention will be used to stimulate a movement from 'bottom-up', by forming a focusgroup, that will participate in all phases of the intervention (i.e. prepare, research, develop, implement).



Only in the development phase, the exact elements of intervention can be determined, as in line with other intervention strategies (e.g. Intervention Mapping Protocol).



Possible interventions could be:

1. Implementation of a plan to stimulate social support between colleagues;

2. Implementation of a plan to foster efficiency within the vocational educational institute.



The control group will receive treatment as usual.