News item | 04-07-2025 | 17:00
BBL students-students who get an MBO diploma through work and learn-can count on a double income improvement. Minister Bruins (OCW) wants to abolish the so-called BBL wage scaffold. As a result, students who follow a professional learning path at MBO are entitled to the entire youth wage from 2027. That is not the case now. At the same time, they also benefit from the general increase in the youth wage, previously announced by Minister Van Hijum (SZW). The measure is part of a broader BBL offensive that is aimed at teaching more students through this learning route to professionals, who are desperately needed on the labor market.
Minister Bruins: “BBL students opt for a valuable route with certainty and direct work experience, especially if they prefer to learn in practice. Employers get motivated forces who develop in the workplace from day one. By improving their financial position, we make this learning path more fair and more attractive.”
Minister Van Hijum: “The youth wage is really ready for an increase, young people are entitled to that. I have had various conversations with them. In this way we encourage that more young people learn and work in trouble without financially getting into problems. We are preparing the next generation to fully participate in the labor market and we increase their existence and independence.
Unequal reward is corrected
With a BBL course it means that you mainly work (3 or 4 days at a recognized training company) and go to school one day a week. Young BBL students now earn fewer than peers with a normal (side) job, because they fall under a separate, lower wage scale: the BBL-Staffel. This scheme was once introduced to make learning jobs cheaper for employers, but in practice unfavorably unpleasant BBL students who work and are not entitled to student finance. Minister Bruins therefore wants to abolish this scale.
Hourly wage as of January 1, 2025 (current scale vs. regular minimum wage): | |||
Age | Regular minimum wage | Minimum wage BBL | Difference per hour |
20 | € 11.25 | € 8.65 | – € 2.60 |
19 | € 8.44 | € 7.38 | – € 1.06 |
18 | € 7.03 | € 6.40 | – € 0.63 |
Financial position for students should be better
The Ministry of Education, Culture and Science wants to improve the financial position of BBL students with the removal of the Staffel. A BBL student is employed by a recognized training company and receives salary. But how high that wage is varies considerably per sector, collective labor agreement and age. In addition, because of this employment contract, BBL students fall outside of certain schemes that do apply to full-time students. This means that some BBL students experience financial problems. Studies by Jobmbo and Nibud show that 20% of them have difficulty making ends meet. BBL’ers earn fewer than peers with a part -time job, fall outside the student finance and do not always receive a travel allowance. This combination makes them financially vulnerable and regularly leads to financial stress. Young people aged 18 to 20 are the largest risk group: they break down their training more often because it is more rewarding to work. Minister Bruins wants to break that vicious circle. The abolition of the scale should not only make the BBL more attractive, but also contribute to less failure and better flow.
Part of BLBL-Offensive
The income measure is part of the broader BBL offensive, in which the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science cooperates with the MBO Council, Jobmbo, SBB, trade unions, employers’ organizations and students. Within the BBL offensive, education and business are joining forces to increase the fame of the BBL learning road among young people and to prevent school leaving prematurely. In addition, better guidance and offering flexible and customized education must increase the number of BBL students. In 2023, more than 118,000 students followed a BBL course-that is 30% of the total number of MBO students, an increase compared to 26% in 2021. With the offensive, the partners want this share to grow to 35%.
The BBL is a powerful route for young people and side entrants to be trained practice-oriented for sectors with large staff shortages.