Through the ‘Practical Learning’ grant scheme, the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science encourages employers to offer practical training placements and work-based learning placements. As a result, pupils, students, trainees or employees undertaking vocational training are better prepared for the labour market, and employers have access to better-trained staff.
What does the ‘Practical Learning’ grant scheme involve?
The grant is a contribution towards the costs incurred by an employer in supervising an apprentice, trainee or student. The grant also contributes towards the salary or supervision costs of a PhD student or trainee technological designer (TOIO).
The grant is aimed primarily at:
- students studying in sectors where there is a shortage of qualified staff;
- academic staff, who are indispensable to the Dutch knowledge-based economy;
- vulnerable groups in the labour market for whom youth unemployment is a major problem.
Who is the ‘Practical Learning’ grant scheme intended for?
The Practical Learning grant scheme is intended for companies, accredited training organisations, training providers and institutions that offer practical training placements or work-based learning placements to pupils, students or participants in various sectors of education.
The employer may be eligible for a grant for the part of the period during which they provided support during the academic year. Even if a participant drops out, the employer will receive a pro rata contribution towards the costs incurred for providing that support. The employer does not need to provide mentoring for a full academic year in order to be eligible for a grant. Mentoring provided in previous academic years is not eligible for a grant.
To which learning pathways does the scheme apply?
As an employer, you may be eligible for a grant if you offer an apprenticeship place to someone in one of the following categories:
- VMBO: a work-based learning programme within the basic vocational stream across all sectors;
- MBO: a work-based learning pathway (BBL) across all sectors;
- HBO: a work-study or part-time programme in the fields of engineering, agriculture or the natural environment;
- PhD candidates: a PhD research project supervised by a university or an institute of the KNAW or NWO in all sectors;
- Technology Design Students (TOIO): a design project supervised by a university, leading to the PDEng qualification.
Conditions
To be eligible for this grant, you must meet a number of conditions. These may vary depending on the type of education:
- The employer is an accredited training organisation;
- a valid (apprenticeship) agreement must have been concluded between all parties involved;
- VMBO: this applies only to the pathway specifically aimed at obtaining a basic vocational qualification;
- MBO: participants in a vocational training programme (BOL) are not eligible for a grant;
- HBO: the course must be listed in the Central Register of Vocational Education and Training (Crebo) or the Central Register of Higher Education Programmes (CROHO).
Inspection
Keep your records up to date in preparation for an audit by the RVO. For each VMBO pupil, MBO BBL participant or HBO student, ensure that:
- a valid work placement agreement;
- attendance records at your training company;
- records demonstrating the progress made, the support provided and the manner in which the relevant learning objectives, qualifications and competencies of the vocational training programme have been achieved. This can be done, for example, by means of interim discussion, assessment and evaluation reports or a workbook (BPV);
- a copy of the diploma.
Please ensure the following for each PhD student and TOIO:
- an employment contract;
- an agreement with the university or institute affiliated with the NWO or the KNAW regarding that institution’s supervision of the PhD candidate in their research or the TOIO in their programme.
Once the grant has been awarded, checks will continue to be carried out on employers to verify that the application was completed truthfully and that the grant was paid out correctly. The employer is therefore required to retain the relevant documents for up to five years after the school or academic year for which the grant was awarded.
How much is the grant?
You can receive a maximum grant of €2,700 per participant per school year.
When can an application be made under this scheme?
You must submit a grant application once the supervision for the relevant academic year has ended. For the 2016–2017 academic year, applications can be submitted from 2 June until 15 September 2017 at 5.00 pm.
This article was produced in collaboration with Major Q. Major Q is a specialist in grant acquisition. You can find more information about Major Q here.
