Co-funded by the European Union

The Netherlands: a Bipartite Fund Increases Employability of Agencies’ Workers through a Voucher of 500 Euros for Training

  • Vouchers can be used for training on the job, or on-boarding at a client or at a regular employer.
  • So far 595 agency workers used the voucher to upscale their workers and fill vacancies of sectors in higher need. 

Dutch private employment services associations (ABU and NBBU) and trade unions FNV, CNV Professionals, LBV and De Unie, developed DOORZAAM, a bipartite fund for employability of temporary agency workers. 

At the peak of the Covid-19 crisis, DOORZAM activated an emergency fund offering, in addition to the regular training vouchers, extra “work-to-work vouchers”. 

These vouchers worth €500 are available until 1st July 2020. They are offered to temporary workers who have been unemployed due to the Covid-19 crisis and under certain conditions. The voucher can be used for training on the job, or on-boarding at a client or at a regular employer. Large companies can apply for a maximum of 100 vouchers and small and medium enterprises for a maximum of 50.

In concrete terms, the temporary employment agency determines whether the voucher is to be used for training, the on-boarding process or the induction process at the user company. Furthermore, the temporary employment agency supports the worker with the next steps for reassignment to another sector.

So far, 595 agency workers used the voucher to upscale their workers and fill vacancies of sectors in higher need.

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Adriana Stel, DOORZAAM Director commented: “In sectors that are currently struggling, such as the aviation and travel industry, temporary workers have been sent home first. On the other hand, there is a glaring lack of hands among supermarkets, distribution, transport and growers. We say: do not allow temporary agency workers to go unemployed and we want to encourage temporary agency workers to switch inter-sectorally”.

ABU Secretary General, Jurrien Koops considered the work of DOORZAAM for temporary agency workers during the crisis as highly valuable and the result of a good practice of social dialogue that can be implemented into other realities. He said: “As the crisis hit, 45.000 agency-workers lost their jobs. Already 22.000 of them could be re-allocated to a new assignment; out of which 16.000 are in an essential sector. This dedicated training voucher of DOORZAAM contributed to this re-allocation effort. But since the crisis is far from over, training for employability in the Netherlands and beyond remains of crucial importance on the road to recovery”.