Blog

As co-founder of Dutch Edtech and Techmeup and co-founder and CEO of Amsterdam-based Growth Tribe, Van Sabben is involved in getting people to learn in multiple ways. “STAP is going to be the first step to lifelong learning”, he says. “We must no longer focus on job security. Instead, we should aim for learning security.”

Apply for €1000 in new skills

With the STAP-budget, any adult EU citizen living in The Netherlands for at least a couple of months can get up to €1,000 of educational costs covered by the government. After registering for a course at one of the approved institutions, one can easily apply for the budget at the website of the Dutch Employee Insurance Agency UWV. Once the application is approved and the classes are attended, the budget will flow straight to the educator. 

Van Sabben says many people need and want to take up courses to create a better fit with the labour market. This especially goes for learning digital skills. “The public sector is not going to close that gap”, he says. “Many tech courses can do it better and quicker. And with STAP you are no longer dependent on your employer to provide you with new skills. You can now determine for yourself what you learn. This will get us a more agile society.”

‘Target a broader audience’

“We don’t want people to get stuck in a job anymore”, continues Van Sabben. “At Growth Tribe, we’ve educated 20,000 people since 2016. STAP allows us to target a broader audience.” For the occasion, Growth Tribe has rolled out the red carpet for people looking to gain new skills. They’ve added 8 new certifications and updated their existing curricula in digital or growth marketing, data analytics, digital leadership or UX design. Since Growth Tribe’s courses are just under €1,000, students can get theirs 100 per cent funded. 

However, Van Sabben sees not only a need for digital skills. As co-founder of the Dutch Edtech foundation, which aims to connect the education and learning sector, he also notices a huge demand for other tech skills like installing solar panels or charging points. Van Sabben sees a role for edtech startups to provide these skills, as they are more agile than traditional educators. 

High demand for tech skills

Maarten Heinemann also acknowledges the need for closing the skill gap to keep the job market healthy. Heinemann is a policy officer at the Dutch raad council for training and education NRTO. “Skills play a much bigger role these days and we see the demand for digital skills skyrocket these days. Around 1,4 million people in the Netherlands are enrolled in private educational institutions. Health care and tech are eager for more skilled people. Since the demand is so high, there’s a need for short programmes to give people skills on a high level.”

NRTO is closely involved in rolling out the STAP-budget and ‘to make sure the programme fits the day-to-day realities of the educational ecosystem. They also provide a seal of approval for institutions that meet certain quality standards. This label is necessary to be able to become part of the STAP-budget programme and allow students to claim a refund on their education costs.

Moving the hassle

The STAP budget is not the first effort of the Dutch government to give a financial stimulus to people trying to upskill. Previously, a tax deduction after enrolling in a private school could offer similar benefits. “But that tax deduction was mostly interesting for higher educated people. STAP replaces the tax benefit and moves the administrative hassle away from the individual.” Instead of applying for a tax break themselves – a complicated matter for many – STAP simplifies the process. All that is needed is an online application, the educator takes care of the rest.

For 2022 there is a total budget of €218 million. Since not all courses cost the full €1,000, the budget should cover about 300,000 applications. The size of the total budget is based on the similar tax deductions of previous years, says Heinemann. “However, this is easier to apply, so the demand for it might be higher. We’re already seeing efforts to increase the budget in coming periods.”

‘Lifelong learning’

“This is the first step to lifelong learning”, says Van Sabben. “As a society, we tend to choose short term gains over sports, health and learning. We’re more inclined to switch on Netflix than start a new course. The government can’t keep insisting that it’s people’s own responsibility to educate themselves. They need to stimulate people to keep on learning. That is why STAP is so important.” 

Read also >> Working in tech: Codaisseur, Codam and TechMeUp are closing the skill gap, but where is the money?

The new regulation even makes the experts greedy for some new knowledge. Heinemann admits he has been looking through the course list. Only enrolling on a course and applying for STAP will be an educational experience for him. “I want to become an expert, by going through the whole process and seeing how one experiences it. But yeah, I’d also like to learn how to code a bit. Learn that way of thinking. I think these digital skills can make me more agile.”

As a founder of Growth Tribe, Van Sabben naturally looks at his own offering. He doesn’t necessarily need STAP to enrol in one of its courses. What he mainly needs, is time, he says. “I haven’t had the chance to do our data visualisation and storytelling course yet. It’s an important skill, to be able to bring across your point effectively and visually. I see many companies enrolling their employees in that course, I’d like to do it too.”