The ‘Mobility & Infrastructure Test Centre’ (MITC) in Flevoland (NL) will become a leading knowledge and test centre for smart mobility, providing education and training that meets the future needs of the mobility sector. MITC partners Royal NLR – Netherlands Aerospace Centre and MBO college Firda are combining their strengths in a new secondary vocational education (MBO) training programme ‘Drone Operations Specialist’. This three-year MBO programme, level 4, starting in 2026, will prepare students for a future where drones play a prominent role, such as in logistics, industry, or transport companies, or government agencies like Defence, emergency services – police, fire brigade, or medical transport – and technical advisory firms.
Firda, with twenty locations in northern Flevoland and Friesland, is responsible for developing and implementing the training programme. The MBO college is deeply rooted in the region, close to the field, and socially engaged. NLR contributes technical expertise and unique facilities, such as a restricted airspace, workshops, and a drone take-off and landing strip in Marknesse.
“This collaboration enables us to train skilled professionals who can directly contribute to innovations in mobility,” says Thiska Portena, Director of MBO-c Firda Emmeloord-Urk.
Jan Lintsen, CFO of NLR and closely involved in the development of the mobility centre, adds: “The MITC is an inspiring place for smart mobility where education and technological innovation come together. The addition of education to the MITC strengthens our ambition to create a learning community that is ready for tomorrow’s mobility.”
The declaration of intent between Firda and NLR was signed on 30 October. The new training programme is scheduled to start in the 2026 school year, provided there are sufficient registrations. Firda is enthusiastically starting the recruitment process, and interested parties are welcome to attend the Open Day on 20 November. More information about the training programme can be found at the site of Firda (in Dutch).
MITC
The MITC in Flevoland will become a leading knowledge and test centre for smart multimodal mobility solutions. The development of the centre is essential for a responsible introduction of new generations of ‘smart’ road, water, and air vehicles in the Netherlands and Europe.
The founding MITC partners are NLR, DNW (German-Dutch Wind Tunnels), Municipality of Noordoostpolder, Province of Flevoland, RDW (Netherlands Vehicle Authority), and the Netherlands Police Academy. These MITC partners are collaborating with the educational institution Windesheim University of Applied Sciences and now also with the MBO college Firda. For more information, visit the website of MITC – Mobiliteit en Infrastructuur Test Centrum (in Dutch).
