Tel mee met Taal (Count on skills) programme employer subsidies

Other parties

In addition to employers, organizations such as schools, libraries, youth healthcare institutions, preschool facilities and other organizations can also apply for subsidies to promote literacy among parents.

Advantages

Investing in basic workplace skills (such as language skills, arithmetic and/or digital literacy) offers a number of advantages, not only for your employees, but also for you as an employer. By making these kinds of investments, your employees will make fewer mistakes, and work-related stress and absenteeism will be reduced. Employees also generally become more self-confident and gain the ability to work more independently thanks to basic skills training. Many employers who have invested in language courses report that their employees communicate more efficiently and effectively as a result, and that they feel more involved in what goes on at their organization.

Eligibility

As an employer, you can apply for a subsidy for employee training. These training activities should improve your employees’ language skills, arithmetic and/or digital literacy. The subsidy can also be used for freelancers who work for your company, or for other flexible workers whose services you use. These could be temp workers, employees on a trial placement, sheltered workers, etc.

For the purposes of the subsidy, it is irrelevant whether or not the employees’ first language is Dutch, and the subsidy may be used for migrant workers as well. Use of the subsidy is not restricted to one single training programme; it can be used for multiple training programmes. Please note that the subsidy may only be spent on employees with a language level below 2F, a calculation level below 2F, or a digital skills level below the basic level 2.

• Under the previous scheme, you were required to spend the full subsidy amount on the training programme. Under the new scheme, you may use up to 15% of the subsidy amount for preparation and aftercare. Preparation activities include employee recruitment and determining which training programmes would be most appropriate for them. Aftercare, on the other hand, involves helping employees look for additional training, promoting the programme’s results within your organization, or incorporating them into your HR policy. The range of evaluation options has also been broadened. As a subsidy recipient, you can opt for self-evaluation, impact measurement or tracking learning outcomes or test results.
• The subsidy may only be used to improve your employees’ language proficiency in one of your country’s official languages. For employers in the European Netherlands, this is Dutch. For employers in the Caribbean Netherlands, this is Dutch, Papiamentu and English.
• You can submit a subsidy application on your own behalf as an employer, but also on behalf of yourself and one or more other employers. In the latter case, the employer who submits the application will act as budget holder. R&D funds and educational organizations can also act as budget holder for one or more employers.

Amounts available

The following applies for both subsidy flows: the maximum subsidy amount per application is €125,000, and in some cases employers will be required to contribute to the training costs themselves. If the subsidy budget is exceeded, we will draw lots.

These are the amounts for the Netherlands (including the Caribbeans) in 2023:

In case lots are drawn

If the applications exceed the subsidy budget, we will draw lots to determine which subsidy applications will be approved. This will ensure that everyone is treated fairly. Once the application deadline has passed, a notary will draw lots, after which DUS-i (the Dutch subsidy implementation agency) will check the applications for completeness and validity. DUS-i’s website offers more information about the draw procedure. Read the information in Dutch or in English.

How to apply

You can apply from 1 January until 28 February 2023, Central European Time. DUS-i will implement the Tel mee met Taal (Count on skills) subsidy scheme. Read more about the scheme on their website, in Dutch or in English. Or go there to submit your application. DUS-i’s contact details are also listed on their website, should you have any questions.

Read the full 2021-2024 Tel mee met Taal (Count on skills) Subsidy Scheme.

New round, new opportunities

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