Committee: give MBO students their own budget for training
An individual learning account is the best way to stimulate graduated and working MBO students by continuing to learn. As soon as MBO students have graduated or are 27 years old, they should receive such a bill. They can then decide for themselves which course or training they use the money in the account for.
That is an important conclusion from the report 'Continuing to learn works! Investing together in new security ' of a committee led by former Groenlinks party leader Jolande Sap. Compared to ten years ago, MBO graduates up to and including MBO-4 training less often follow courses and training. 50 percent of the higher educated take a course, but among the less educated it has fallen to only 20 to 30 percent. Often the motivation is there, but there must also be enough time, money and a clear range of courses to actually follow training.
Purchase your own training
The committee examined the question of how to enable adult MBO students to continue learning as well as possible during their working life. This is necessary because, according to the committee, a job for life no longer exists. Developing yourself is increasingly important. Juice lightly in one interview please:
Learning should be a natural part of life, regardless of your level of education. Continuing education will be the new social security of our time
For the report, the committee examined various variants of demand financing, in which people can purchase their own training. For example, they looked at education vouchers or tax benefits specifically aimed at the MBO target group. An experiment with vouchers is already underway in higher professional education.
The learning account is the most promising, the committee advises. 'A learning account is more structural than vouchers and better able to reach the target group than tax facilities', the report states. A learning account with which you log in via DigiD is 'fast, accessible and transparent'. The MBO students do not get their hands on the money, but they can use it themselves for training. In addition, various parties, such as the government or employers, can contribute.
In the report, the committee also recommends appointing a Delta Commissioner who bundles the budgets for training and directs it. There must also be broadly supported agreements between the government, employers and employees, study programs and regions about training. Another recommendation is to arrange local or regional support to ensure that people continue to develop.
Support
AObdriver Tamar van Gelder says so AOb is in favor of an individual learning account for working MBO students. “However, we have serious doubts about the amount of support and its design. This target group must be properly supported in having control over their own training. Everyone must be able to make the right choice and be guided in this ”, says Van Gelder. In addition, the collective arrangements in the collective labor agreement for training must continue to exist and be strengthened. "These arrangements are especially important for people who have less training."
