Despite the nationwide shortage of nursing staff, 11 of the 17 college nursing courses have placed limits on the number of places they offer, the Volkskrant said on Friday.

There are currently 120,000 vacancies in the care sector but colleges are imposing limits on student numbers because of the shortage of traineeships, the paper said.

The Dutch hospital association NVZ told the Volkskrant that many hospitals do not have enough money to offer internships to trainee nurses, or enough staff to monitor trainees properly.

For example, students nearing the end of their courses are often used as qualified staff, the NVZ said.

This has led to colleges restricting the number of places on some courses, because they are concerned about offering good quality training.

Others, however, say a limit on student numbers is a way of making sure only the most motivated people apply, the Volkskrant said.