Billions in training budget remain on the shelf | Economy

Every year, employers make 4.2 billion euros available for education and training for staff. That money can be used for training or, for example, a career coach. Part of the money will also be used to guide redundant employees from job to job.

Employers attach importance to this. Agreements have been made about training budgets in three quarters of the collective labor agreements. On average, employers allocate 700 euros per employee per year for a training budget.

The tightness on the labor market makes it attractive for employers to retrain or further train staff themselves. Employers believe that training is also very important for employees. Work is changing quickly and jobs are disappearing. It is therefore necessary that employees keep their knowledge and skills up to date. This way they increase their chances in the future.

A recent survey among its own members by employers’ association AWVN shows that only 55 percent of the training budget is actually spent. Previous studies showed the same percentage of unused training funds. “That means that around 1.5 billion euros is left behind every year,” says Eefje Brul, policy advisor at AWVN and one of the researchers. And that 1.5 billion euros is a lower limit. “Employees can save the budget for a few years. The actual amount is therefore probably higher.” If the budget is not used, it ultimately flows back to the employer. “They can then make other investments,” according to Brul. “So the money is not lost.”

There are a number of reasons why employees receive less training than is possible and desirable. An important reason is the workload. Employees simply do not have time to take courses and training, because there are mountains of work waiting for them. Following the training in their own time is also not a solution, employees indicate that they already have difficulty maintaining a good work-life balance.

But there are also other factors at play, the research showed. Some employees are not motivated to take training courses because of bad experiences with training. Or they reason: ‘why a course, things are going well the way they are?’.

Older employees are not always motivated to take a course. “They don’t see the point of it. They are more concerned with reaching their pension,” Brul sees.

But learning does not always have to take place in a room or classroom. “People can also learn on the job,” says Brul. “Teach people, for example, to handle all machines in the company instead of just one. Then people can be deployed more broadly.”

Just making money available is not enough. There is often a lack of guidance from the employer. “Employees often don’t know which course they want, or which course is useful for them,” says Brul. There is a task for the employer. “The employer must help determine the use of the budget. What skills does the employee need for the company, where are the opportunities for the employee?”

Employers also believe that whether or not to take a training course should be less optional. This can be done, for example, through an annual training meeting, during which agreements are made about which training or course an employee will follow.

The employer must set a good example. By learning and developing themselves, the employer shows the importance of acquiring knowledge. That is motivating for the staff.

The government can also play a role, Brul thinks. “At large companies, money is often not the problem. But a subsidy can be useful for small businesses. Government support can also be useful in industries that suffer from major staff shortages.”