Did you know that as many as 2.5 million Dutch people between the ages of 16 - 65 have great difficulty with reading, writing and/or arithmetic. In high tech, the Netherlands attracts many developers/engineers from abroad who have not yet mastered the Dutch language. Because the government wants to tackle language skills, the action program "Count with Language" was developed. Various parties are connected to the program, such as the Ministries of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Education, Culture and Science, Social Affairs and Health, Welfare and Sport. Are there employees within your company who have not yet mastered the Dutch language? Then apply now for a subsidy to improve the language skills of your staff.
Want to address low literacy within your organization? Training that leads to improving language skills, numeracy skills and digital skills is covered by this grant scheme.
Who is the grant for?
Pay attention to high tech companies with expats! This form of subsidy is relevant to companies employing migrant workers, and companies in a very tight labor market employing expats/knowledge workers, among others.
International developers
This subsidy program is therefore not only for Dutch people who have difficulties with reading, writing and/or arithmetic. Foreign developers/engineers working at Dutch tech companies can also benefit from the subsidy program. These international employees are often not proficient in the Dutch language. Therefore, the Tel mee met Taal program contributes to their personal development, improving cooperation with Dutch colleagues.
Which projects are eligible?
Projects aimed at addressing low literacy are eligible for this grant. Grant is available for 3 types of projects:
- Low-literate workers: subsidy for employers to offer training to (digitally) low-literate workers
- Low-literate parents: promoting an educational home environment, educational partnership between parents and school, and improving (digital) literacy of parents
- Practical experiments: experiments aimed at reaching low-literate people and directing them to courses focused on various skills as well as experiments aimed at improving the quality of courses for this target group
How much is the subsidy?
The table below lists the subsidy amounts.
Terms
- Employers can apply if they employ employees who master one or more Dutch language skills at a level below the reference level 2F. This must be determined at the start of the language program.
- The participant is employed by an employer for the duration of the (language) program
- The trainer is employed by a company or institution with a Chamber of Commerce number and, through certification, demonstrably capable of providing language instruction in the Dutch language.
- The training program consists of a minimum of 30 contact hours and is provided in a maximum of 12 months
When is the deadline?
Tel Mee Met Taal subsidies can be applied for from January 1 to February 28, 2021. Applications for experiments will be assessed qualitatively. If applications for employers exceed the grant ceiling, a draw will take place.
Budget
The budget for 2021 is €10,725,000. For grant applications aimed at low-literacy parents, €1.3 million is available. For grant applications by employers, €8.8 million is available. The budget for experiments is € 625,000.
