Individual training rights and training plans

The deadline to have a training plan ready is palpably approaching. Our recent survey figures show that 4 in 10 SMEs have completed their homework, but around 60% are not yet in compliance. Companies may find it quite difficult to comply with the (new) formalities from the Labour Deal. If you feel that you’ve hit a wall in creating your training plans, you don’t need to feel that you’re on your own with your questions.

Besides a training plan, the Labour Deal also provides individual training rights for employees, equivalent to 5 training days per year. By doing this, the government is pushing employers for initiatives that promote lifelong learning.

Employers do need to create a training account for each employee for this purpose with the following information:

• Training rights
• Training courses taken
• The outstanding balance

This training account will be registered in the Federal Learning Account (FLA) from 1 April 2024. The FLA is a new and compulsory government database where workers can access an overview of their individual training entitlement. They can access and track their training credit through the mycareer.be portal. Employers will be required to record, monitor and – if necessary – supplement this training account for their employees.

Three factors determine the calculation of your employees’ individual training entitlement:

• The size of your company

As a general rule, if you have fewer than 10 employees, you are not required to grant individual training rights. If you have between 10 and 20 employees on the payroll, then allocate at least 1 day per full-time employee.  From 20 employees upwards, every employee is entitled to 5 days from 1 January 2024. Before 2023, that figure was 4.

• The sector

Be sure to check the rules imposed by your sector, as they may differ from this general rule. Take joint committee 200 (PC 200) for example. There, one day of individual training entitlement per year is provided for every employer with fewer than 20 employees. For 20 employees or more, PC 200 provides a growth path spread over 5 years rather than introducing the 5 mandatory days of individual training rights per year per full-time employee immediately:

• Before 31 December 2023: 2.5 days
• From 1 January 2024: 3 days
• From 1 January 2026: 4 days
• From 1 January 2028: 5 days

• Your employee’s employment structure

If you employ part-time employees or an employee has not yet been employed for a full year, allocate the individual training rights pro rata. On a side note: suspensions such as sick leave, time credit, etc. do not affect the number of training days to be allocated.