The Brussels Capital Region boosts alternance training

The Brussels Capital Region wants to promote alternance training and thus creates 2 bonuses that can be granted in this context. These can be requested from 1 July 2018.
Two existing measures are abolished.

Abolishment of 2 measures

The following 2 measures will be abolished from 1 July 2018, without transitional measures:  

• The starting and tutoring bonus
• The ‘tutors’ target-group reduction.

Creation of 2 new bonuses

As from 1 July 2018, the employer may apply for a ‘tutor’ bonus. The young person will be eligible for a ‘young person in alternance training’ bonus, provided that the following conditions are met.  

‘Tutor’ bonus

Who can benefit from this bonus?  

The employer may apply for this bonus:

• if his place of business is situated in the Brussels Capital Region;
• if he employs a tutor who accompanies at least 1 and maximum 4 apprentices simultaneously for at least 6 months.

Under what conditions?

The tutor must meet the conditions required to be a tutor according to the legislation on:

• the alternance training agreement
• dual learning (‘duaal leren’).

The apprentice (supervised by the tutor) must be a person:

• registered with an accredited training or alternance training operator
• under 25 years of age
• who concludes an alternance training agreement in the context of:
  • dual learning
  • an alternance training agreement
  • an industrial apprenticeship contract
  • the Employment Contract Act of 3 July 1978 (= first job agreement type II or apprentice-employee)
  • a professional immersion contract
  • the assigned paths (‘toegewezen trajecten’) (Syntra Flanders)
  • a commercial apprenticeship agreement or a training to become a company manager.

What is the amount of the bonus?

The bonus amounts to € 1,750 per 12-month period.

The employer can only receive one bonus per tutor.

The bonus is paid at the latest within 2 months following the submission of the complete bonus application file.

Which formalities must the employer comply with?

The employer must submit his application to Actiris on the basis of a form drawn up by Actiris containing at least the following information and documents:

• at the employer level:
• his identity/name
• the address of the registered place of business
• the company number
• the identity of the employer's representative if the representative is a legal person
• the account number to which the bonus must be paid
• his signature
• at the apprentice level
• his identity
• his place of residence
• his national social security number
• at the tutor level
• his identity
• his signature
• at training level
• its name
• its purpose
• the start and end date.

The form must be submitted within:

• max. 6 months before the start of the alternance training agreement and
• max. 9 months after the start of the agreement.

The form must be accompanied by a certificate from the operator confirming that the on-the-job training has been completed over a period of at least 6 months.

‘Young person in alternance training’ bonus

Who can benefit from this bonus?

The young person may apply for a bonus for each of his alternance training courses of at least 4 months with the same employer in execution of one or more training agreements.

The young person can benefit from this bonus maximum 3 times during the same training cycle and provided he has successfully completed one year of training.

The bonus is paid at the latest within 2 months following the submission of the complete bonus application file.

Under what conditions?

The young person must:

• reside in the Brussels Capital Region;
• be employed under a training agreement, i.e.:
  • an industrial apprenticeship contract
  • or a professional immersion contract
  • or an alternance training agreement
  • or a dual learning agreement.

What is the amount of the bonus?

The bonus amounts to:

• € 500 for the 1st and 2nd request
• € 750 for the 3rd request.

Which formalities must the young person comply with?

The young person must submit his application to Actiris on the basis of a form drawn up by Actiris containing at least the following information and documents:

• at the employer level:
  • his identity/name
  • the address of the registered place of business
  • the company number
  • the identity of the employer's representative if the representative is a legal person
• at the apprentice leve
  • his identity
  • his place of residence
  • his national social security number
  • his signature
  • the young person’s account number to which the bonus must be paid
  • the identity and place of residence of the legal representative if the young person is a minor
• at training leve
  • its name
  • its purpose
  • the start and end date.

The form must be submitted within 3 months following the end of the training year.

The form must be accompanied by:

• a certificate from the educational or training institution confirming that the young person succeeded that year;
• a certificate from the training operator confirming that the on-the-job training has been completed for a minimum period of 4 months and a certificate of success.

Can these bonuses be combined with other benefits?

The ‘tutor’ bonus and the ‘young person in alternance training’ bonus may not be combined with other financial contributions to remuneration, except reductions in social security contributions.

Source: Decree of the Government of the Brussels Capital Region of 7 June 2018 on bonuses to promote alternance training, Belgian Official Gazette 19.06.2018

Author: Anne Ghysels

29/06/2018