Applications for the last round of STAP subsidies open today
The final round of the STAP budget launches today, with the application portal on the UWV website opening at 10:00 a.m. Similar to the previous round, a total of 10 million euros is available for allocation.
The STAP budget is an allowance of 1,000 euros intended to help people increase their chances in the labor market through retraining or additional training. Anyone aged 18 or older can apply, provided they are not receiving a State pension.
Introduced last year by the government, the scheme quickly gained popularity, with all available subsidies often claimed within hours of applications opening. But it soon also became apparent that some were abusing it. People applied for the subsidy for courses unrelated to their work, and providers increased their course prices to collect more STAP money.
The government decided to scrap the scheme after the end of this year.
Announcements made on Monday indicated that the remaining funds, exceeding 73 million euros, will be redirected towards a new, temporary scheme focused on individual training. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment plans to provide further details about this new initiative in the first quarter of 2024.
