Farewell Lecture Prof. dr. Rolf van der Velden

His farewell speech took place on Thursday, June 30, 2022 at 16.00 in the Aula of Maastricht University, Minderbroedersberg 4-6 in Maastricht.

Title of the lecture: “This is a skills world”

Over the past decades, sociologists and economists have shown that education is associated to a range of relevant outcomes, such as success on the labour market, health, civic engagement, and social participation. What is less clear is why education affects these outcomes? Is it related to the skills that are acquired in education or do credentials serve as an entry ticket to privileged positions? And what is the role of families? How can the strong intergenerational persistence in educational attainment be explained? And are social disparities reinforced in education or does education fulfil an emancipatory function?

In this farewell speech, Rolf van der Velden presented new insights on the role of skills production in families and schools, based on two major projects: the Intergenerational Transmission of Skills project (see link) and the Netherlands Education Cohort Study (see link).

A digital version of the farewell speech is available here
>> Click here to watch the live stream