The transition learners are required to make from education to the workplace is a complex,  and often problematic, process (Tynjälä, Välimaa, & Sarja, 2003). Studies show a gap between what is learned and what is required of competent professionals in an ever more complex world (Baartman & De Bruijn, 2011). Therefore, the integration of students’ learning experiences across academic and practice settings is currently of considerable interest within the educational sectors in a number of countries (Billett, 2011), among which the Netherlands In the Netherlands recently research is carried out, where more traditional out-of-context practical and theoretical lessons are increasingly replaced by internships and workplace simulations (Jossberger, 2011, Zitter, 2010). The challenge is to design learning environments that cross the traditional school boundaries into working life. Designing such a learning environment is not an easy endeavour(Zitter, 2010). It requires long term commitment of both parties, i.e. VET-institutes and business partners, to develop new forms of integrating learning and working processes to ease the transition from school to society and specifically the workplace These developments lead to a changing relationship between educational institutes and professional practice.

Since 2004 a national innovation programme is induced for VET-institutes by the Dutch government. Within this programme more than 100 projects are experimenting with new educational practices. One of the main goals of this programme is to stimulate the collaboration between schools and professional practice in order. to co-design educational programmes in which school and professional practice are more integrated. Such form of collaboration in which co-design is imported, is denoted as co-makership.

The focus in this study is on the emerging forms of collaboration between schools and work organisations that can be defined as co-makership. The main goal is to get insight in the different forms of co-makership between VET-institutes and professional practice, and what are necessary conditions to sustain long-term commitment of both parties. .

The central questions are : What are possible substantive and organisational varieties of co-makership between VET-institutes and business partners? What are important conditions to ensure the sustainable character of such collaboration in the different varieties?

Baartman, L.K.J., & de Bruijn, E. (2011). Integrating knowledge, skills and attitudes: Conceptualizing learning processes towards vocational competence. Educational Research Review, 6, 125-134. Billett, S. (2011) Curriculum and pedagogic bases for effectively integrating practice-based experiences – final report Strawberry Hills NSW, Australian learning and teaching council Delden, P. van (2009) Samenwerking in de publieke dienstverlening. Ontwikkelverloop en resultaten (Collaboration in the public services sector). Delft: Eburon. Jossberger, Nooteboom, B (2006) Learning and innovation in inter-organizational relationships and networks, Center discussion paper, 2006–39, Tilburg University. Tynjälä, P., Välimaa, J. & Sarja, A. (2003) Pedagogical perspectives on the relationships between higher education and working life, Higher Education,46(2)pp147-166 Zitter, I. (2010) Designing for Designing for Learning. Studying learning environments in higher professional education from a design perspective. Published dissertation, Utrecht University