In his LIfBi Lecture Rolf van der Velden will present preliminary results on a unique project in which skills of parents are linked to the skills of their off-spring. The effects are quite strong and suggest that skills play an important role in the intergenerational education mobility. 

Rolf van der Velden is professor at Maastricht University, director of the Research Centre for Education and the Labour Market (ROA) and program director Education and Occupational Career at the same institute. Amongst other, he is coordinator of the Netherlands’ Education Cohort Study (NRO) and one of the coordinators in the PIAAC project. He is member of several research associations in the field of social stratification, education and labour market. 

Current research focuses on education and skills development, transition from education to work, knowledge economy and the demand for 21st century skills, skills mismatches and the acquisition and decline of skills over the life course.