Expertise, mission and vision / About ROA (voorstel)

The Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) is a research institute of the Maastricht University School of Business and Economics, established in 1986. The overarching research theme of ROA expertise relates to:

• The (changing) demand for and supply of skills
• The skills formation over the life cycle (from early childhood until retirement)
• The use of skills

The focus in skills is elaborated upon in ROA’s Research and Policy Plan.

ROA’s mission is to conduct high quality research that has a strong societal impact. With a strong position in academia, ROA informs and inspires policymakers and academics, by contributing to both scientific research and public and organizations’ skills policies. 

ROA’s expertise is organised in a research programme with the following four themes:

1. Education and Transition to Work
2. Health, Skills, and Inequality
3. Labour Market and Training
4. Human Capital in the Region

The first two themes focus on education and skills as point of departure and study the drivers and outcomes at the individual, organizational and societal level. The last two programs study the developments in skill supply and demand on the labor market and the interactions between the two at the national and regional level.

Our vision is that ROA will reach a leading position (within 10 years) in research on the demand for and the supply of skills, with high quality scientific research that leads to high societal impact.