Since 2021, the unions, together with the school boards, united in the secondary education council, have been updating the exemplary functions. A wish from the AOb which was also reflected in an earlier collective labor agreement. A big job, because many different functions fall under 'the support staff'. These are not only (technical) teaching assistants, but also colleagues who work in IT, administration, human resources or the financial department. There is now an updated example position for all these groups, which clearly describes which activities belong to which position. And which salary scale suits it.
Obsolete
That was desperately needed, because the AObsector manager was regularly told by members that the current positions were no longer up to date. “They said they were doing other work now or that it was outdated. Logically, education is changing and so are the tasks that make up a position. A recalibration of the functions was necessary.” The advantage is that all schools can use these example functions. “That saves a lot of time and money,” says Jansen. “Otherwise, each employer must hire a specialist separately for this. That is not necessary now. However, schools may decide for themselves whether they want to use these new job descriptions. They are not obliged to do so.”
Image: Pixabay
From the bottom up
Many colleagues from the secondary education sector have contributed ideas to the new exemplary positions. Jansen: “That was also the intention, it had to come from the employees themselves.” For example, there was a working group for janitors, educational assistants and HR employees who came up with concrete examples from current practice.
Insight
Another advantage is that it gives educational assistants insight into updated activities and which activities are expected in positions with a higher scale. “It provides insight into what can be associated with a position,” says Jansen. It also shows what the possibilities are if you want to grow.
It gives employees insight into updated activities and which activities are expected in positions with a higher scale
Jansen: “Suppose you want to apply for a job, then you can check whether an exemplary position is being applied or ask a new employer about it. You can also ask if they have a career perspective as shown in the series of these example positions and ask what is possible. Or you see that you are doing most or important tasks in a position with a higher salary scale, then you can also talk to a manager after three to four months. Please note: these must be tasks that have actually been assigned by your manager.”
Picture: Type tank
De AObsector administrator already knows from two large school administrators from the south of the country that they are working on the job classification system and that they are waiting for examples. It is important for colleagues who are in the p(g)mr, because the council must agree to the description of new positions. “It's nice that they are there now and it's good that we have created career paths, we expect them to spread like wildfire.”
Text: Karen Hagen | Image: Pixabay and Typetank
