Netherlands - Training and Study Centre for the Judiciary - EJTN

Since its establishment in 1960, SSR has been the joint training institute of the Dutch judicial system and the Public Prosecution Service, operating independently from the Ministry of Justice.

Besides its main office, which has been located in Utrecht since the end of 2012, SSR also facilitates local training sites at court buildings and public prosecutor’s offices in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Den Bosch and soon in Zwolle.

Initial Training Programme
In partnership with the Dutch courts of law and public prosecutor’s offices, SSR trains law graduates as judges and public prosecutors. These initial training programmes have undergone major changes in 2013. SSR has been assigned to redesign the judge programme. The Public Prosecution Service has taken the initiative to modify the public prosecutor programme itself, with SSR acting as a consultant.

The first candidates have started the new courses in January 2014. Alongside the new programme, SSR will also continue to offer the established course for candidates who have already begun the programme; they will complete the course in line with the ‘old’ structure. Life-long educationBesides the initial training programmes, SSR also offers further education for judges, public prosecutors and legal staff, based on the principle that learning and continuing education remain essential throughout our careers. Annually, a total of 25,000 students are enrolled in our programmes and training courses, which are increasingly based on innovative methods, using the ‘MIJN SSR’ electronic learning environment.

SSR, the Public Prosecution Service and the judicial system jointly set the curriculum and determine the range of courses. This ensures that the legal community as a whole can share professional knowledge and expertise. What makes this knowledge-sharing process unique is that we have access to each other’s cases and can learn from one another’s experiences. Apart from members of the legal community, SSR also works with lecturers from universities and other educational institutions. This allows us to create a wide range of courses incorporating both practical and theoretical knowledge, with a strong focus on the magistracy.