STAP budget allocated within three hours, 38,000 people signed up for training

NOS

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 15:39

The STAP budget was also quickly forgiven today: within three hours. About 38,000 people have been able to register for a government-subsidized training, the UWV benefits agency reports. €34 million is available in this round, with a maximum of €1,000 per person.

Registration started at 10 a.m. and the UWV closed the counter at 1 p.m.

“People who want to register must log in before 10 a.m.,” the UWV explains. “The moment the ticket office opens, a random queue is formed.” 159,000 people had registered.

With the STAP budget, people can follow a course to increase their chances on the labor market. Training is seen as an important solution for reducing the shortage on the labor market.

End arrangement

Last week, the Spring Memorandum showed that the STAP scheme will be terminated on 1 January next year. The scheme was introduced last year. By scrapping it, the cabinet will save about 200 million euros. STAP replaced the deduction of study costs from the tax. This was less accessible to people with a lower income, because they could not always advance the costs of the training themselves.

The disappearance of the STAP budget has led to concerns among the UWV about the possibilities for training to advance in the labor market, especially given the shortage that will continue for the time being. The scheme helps people who were previously unable to follow an education.

Incomprehension

The providers of training also do not understand that the scheme will disappear. According to them, with this scheme the government succeeded for the first time in encouraging people to learn.

The UWV does offer other training options, such as retraining for people on WW, Wajong or WIA benefits. There is also the Leerwerkloket for working people for help in finding a suitable course. The UWV works together with municipalities and partners in the region.

Minister Van Gennip of Social Affairs and Employment wants to see how she can continue to stimulate training and development.

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