Utrecht, 25 March 2026 - The Utrecht region will be short of tens of thousands of care workers over the next ten years. To jointly and positively tackle that challenge, Werkgeversservicepunt Midden-Utrecht, Koninklijke Jaarbeurs, Utrechtzorg and the Utrecht Talent Alliance are officially launching the Zorg Expo on Friday 17 April 2026. The first edition will take place in the Beatrix Building in Jaarbeurs and has the ambition to grow further in the coming years into a leading regional platform where labour market, education and care come together.
The Care Expo is an accessible and free event for all residents of the Utrecht region (Amersfoort and Gooi & Vecht) who are interested in working or learning in the care and welfare sector. The initiative is explicitly intended as a social contribution of the cooperating partners to the city, the region and its inhabitants and is in line with the Dutch Heart of Health Expo. Utrecht will be the beating heart of care and health in the Netherlands in March and April. As Heart of Health, Utrecht is the location par excellence for this.
Urgent social issue calls for cooperation
The demand for healthcare professionals continues to grow, while the available supply lags behind. That is precisely why this is the time to join forces, says Jeroen van Hooff, CEO of Royal Jaarbeurs: "Healthcare is facing an enormous challenge. We solve this not only with figures and plans, but by offering people perspective. We are building on the success of previous initiatives. With the Healthcare Expo, we bring employers, educators and talent together in an accessible place. This is a joint signal: we take responsibility and actively commit to the future of care in the Utrecht region."
Low-threshold event for jobseekers, reorients and lateral entrants
The Care Expo is aimed at a broad target group: people already working in care and ready for the next step, residents considering a transfer, young people looking for training and anyone wanting to find out what opportunities the sector offers. Visitors can walk in without registering between 12 noon and 4pm and engage directly with employers and trainers from (home) care, childcare, social work and welfare, among others.
According to knowledge specialists Healthcare Marieke Lap & Naomi Matulessy of Werkgeversservicepunt Midden-Utrecht, this approachability is essential: "We see a lot of people who are interested in healthcare, but are not sure where to start. The Care Expo makes that step smaller. By bringing employers, trainers and jobseekers together in one place, we show what opportunities are available regardless of background or current situation."
Lifelong Development central
The theme of Lifelong Development (LLO) also plays an important role during the Zorg Expo. The healthcare sector is changing rapidly and requires continuous development of employees. Jan Joosten, LLO programme manager at Utrechtzorg, emphasises the importance of this: "The Zorg Expo shows that working in healthcare is not one fixed path, but that the sector offers many development opportunities. Retraining, retraining or career development: it's all possible. By making this visible, we increase the appeal of the sector and keep people permanently employable."
Starting point for a wider movement
The 17 April edition marks the beginning of a joint movement, supported by Jaarbeurs, WerkgeversServicepunt, Utrecht Talent Alliance, Utrechtzorg and the municipality of Utrecht. The ambition is to further develop the Zorg Expo in the coming years into a leading regional platform where labour market, education and care come together.
This first launch will deliberately focus on visibility, cooperation and positive energy in order to contribute to solutions for one of today's biggest social issues.
Practical information
Expo Hall Beatrix Building, Jaarbeurs Utrecht
Friday 17 April 2026
12:00 - 16:00
Free entrance, no registration required
About the Zorg Expo
Zorg Expo is a joint initiative of Regionaal WerkgeversServicepunt Midden-Utrecht, Koninklijke Jaarbeurs, Utrechtzorg, municipality of Utrecht and the Utrecht Talent Alliance and takes place during the Heart of Health Expo. With the Care Expo, these partners join forces to inform, inspire and activate residents of the Utrecht region for a future in the care and welfare sector. By bringing employers, educators and talent together on one accessible platform, they contribute to a sustainable solution for labour market issues in the care sector.
