News item | 06-02-2023 | 16:28
In recent weeks, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment, together with partners within STAP, has taken measures to prevent misuse and improper use of the STAP budget. For example, there will be a limit of 300 awards per program (of one trainer) per calendar year, trainers who offer sweet trips or gifts will be tackled and the definition of training will be tightened. The allocated grants are also made public after each application period.
All measures taken can be found in the amendment regulation published today in the Government Gazette. In addition, it has been agreed with quality marks that they will check in advance whether training courses of trainers with their quality mark meet the conditions of STAP. The STAP budget can – as planned – be requested again from 28 February.
At the end of last year, the government decided to skip the January period for applying for the STAP budget in order to work out the necessary improvements to the scheme. It had to be stricter and tighter. The STAP Testing Chamber also carried out research into more than 3,500 courses at around 200 trainers. This does not always involve misuse and/or improper use, which is why it is important to proceed carefully, adversarially. The investigations are currently nearing completion.
Minister Van Gennip: “As annoying as it was to have to disappoint people who wanted to start training via STAP at the beginning of this year, it has been good that we have taken the time to implement the necessary improvements to the scheme in the past period. . In addition, it is important that the scheme continues to do what it is supposed to do, namely to encourage people to get started with their professional development. At the same time, abuse and improper use must be prevented. With the measures taken, I am confident that the STAP scheme will function better. More improvements will be made in the coming months, such as adjusting the application process.”
The measures taken
From 28 February 2023, the following measures will take effect:
- There will be a limit of 300 allocations per training activity of a trainer. This applies per calendar year.
- From now on, the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment can exclude programs and trainers from STAP in the event of abuse.
- Trainers are actively informed in advance about the conditions for STAP budget and must declare that the training activities they provide meet the conditions of STAP.
- Educators who offer sweet trips or gifts to convince people to choose them are asked (on the basis of risk-oriented research or reports) to cease their activities. Failure to do so will result in a training being removed from the training register.
- After each application period, the chosen training activities, the number of subsidies and the total subsidy amount per training activity will be made public.
- The definition of ‘teaching material’ is replaced in the regulation by ‘literature or resources’. Only literature and safety material can be subsidized with this.
Measure that takes effect on 1 May 2023:
- The training definition is being tightened. From now on, only training with a predetermined program, to which a teacher is affiliated and where the knowledge (or skills) acquired is tested, will be eligible for STAP budget. Lectures, for example, do not fall under this definition.
STAP budget, a learning scheme
The STAP budget is a learning scheme. This means that the scheme is continuously evaluated and improved. For example, extra resources will be released later this year within the STAP budget for people with a maximum of MBO 4 diploma, making subsidies for multi-year training via STAP possible and stricter rules will be introduced regarding excessive price increases for training activities. Finally, in response to the Dassen motion, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment is looking at how the STAP budget can be used more for (re)training in socially crucial sectors.