News item | 12-03-2025 | 15:00
Students more often receive an internship allowance and agreements have been made about internship allowances in more and more collective agreements. But it’s not enough yet. Minister of Education, Culture and Science, Eppo Bruins, said this in a letter to the House of Representatives. He is pleased that representatives from the business community, education, students and government are committed to good internships, but the progress in the field of internship allowances must be better. If this development is left behind, Bruins will reconsider in 2027, when the MBO internship act, taking legal measures.
Minister Bruins: “Every student deserves a good internship, where there is professional guidance and an appropriate internship allowance. With the business, education and students, I made agreements about this in the Stagepact MBO. I see that steps are being taken, but it can and should really be better. We desperately need all the workforce in this society. A suitable internship allowance is the responsibility of the social partners, so I call them again to make agreements about this in their collective agreements and actually give a suitable internship allowance to their interns. If the positively used line of more agreements about internship allowances and actually given internship allowances stagnates, I consider in 2027 whether this should be laid down by law. ”
More and more internship allowances and agreements in collective agreements
Agreements in collective agreements about internship allowances can actually promote internship allowances. In 2024, more and more agreements were made about this. For example, the largest collective labor agreement of the Horeca sector included agreements on a minimum train allowance last year. In almost 17% of the collective agreements, agreements have now been made about an internship allowance. That was 10% in 2023. This mainly concerns the large collective agreements. More than 48% of the workers work in the sectors for which agreements have already been made. In addition, in 2024, almost twice as often (81 times) as in 2023 (48 times) an amount for internship compensions mentioned in the 607 collective agreements investigated. The amounts vary between € 150 and € 750 with € 400, just as in 2023, the most common. In 2024 it was agreed in almost four times as many collective agreements (39 compared to 11 in 2023) that the amounts will be equated with all students, regardless of education level. 42% of MBO students received an internship allowance on the reference date in March 2024. A year earlier this was 40.5%. An estimated 75% receives an internship allowance in HBO. In the WO that is 65% of students who did a mandatory internship and 91% for the students who did an optional internship. In the CBS figures, the new agreements in collective agreements of 2024 have not yet been included. We see a trend there: this is expected to lead to higher actual internship allowances, with the following CBS figures. The number of agreements on an expense allowance has increased slightly, but remains very low (8%). An expense allowance is different from an internship allowance and is about the costs that a student has to incur to be able to do an internship, such as travel costs and a VOG. It has been agreed in the Stagepact MBO that these expenses should be reimbursed.
Legally required internship allowance investigated
In response to a motion from the House of Representatives, Minister Bruins had the way of investigating how a minimum train allowance can be legally anchored. Based on the research, no conclusive conclusions can be drawn. The research shows, for example, that it is difficult to determine whether the financial position, motivation and school results of interns improve through an internship allowance. The introduction of a mandatory internship allowance could also lead to fewer internships, especially at small companies, self -employed people and companies in sectors where few internship allowances are now being given. The introduction of a mandatory internship allowance in other European countries shows varying images in this area. Where in Germany the number of internships decreased after the introduction of a minimum train allowance, it increased in France. Various ways have been investigated to realize an appropriate internship allowance. Internships fall under education legislation because they are part of the training. But educational legislation is aimed at educational institutions, while the internship is about the level of an internship allowance. Labor legislation is not obvious because trainees do not have an employment contract, but an internship agreement. This also entails complications for supervision and enforcement by the Inspectorate of Education and the Dutch Labor Inspectorate.
Agreements about internships in further education
In 2023, agreements were made in the Stagepact MBO with representatives of business, education, students and government who are committed to good internships. It has been agreed that every student must receive an appropriate compensation, which at least consists of an expense allowance. In addition, employers and employees make agreements in collective agreements about internship allowances. These agreements must be the same for MBO, HBO and WO students. I address these parties about their responsibility.
In HBO and WO, many parties, such as educational institutions and youth organizations, take action to improve internships. For example, VH and VNO-NCW work together to make agreements about this and in the manifesto to combat internship discrimination already established agreements for combating internship discrimination. Employers and students can also use sample internship contracts of Ore and student organization ISO and CNV young people.