On 2 July 2020, the Cabinet introduced the temporary subsidy scheme ''NL Leert door''. The aim of this scheme is, among other things, to support employees who are at risk of losing (or have already lost) their jobs (as a result of the COVID-19 crisis) and to promote their transition to other promising jobs. This is done with the help of free (1) development advice and/or (2) (online) training.

1. Deployment of development advice

The ''Temporary subsidy scheme NL learns by using development advice'' makes it possible to follow a free and confidential development process with a qualified career advisor, who helps employees gain insight into their future prospects in current work and/or their chances in the job market. The career advisor can also provide support in choosing the right (additional) training and give tips on looking for and applying for other work.

The demand for these subsidized development counseling programs since 1 August 2020 was so high that 50,000 additional programs have been made available as of 1 December 2020. In order to make use of this scheme, the employee only needs to approach a recognized career advisor.

2. Deployment of training

The ''Temporary subsidy scheme NL learns by using training'' makes it possible to follow (online) training free of charge. Employees can, for example, opt for a short course to learn a specific skill or follow further training for a specific profession. On 16 November 2020 the Minister of Social Affairs and Employment granted the NL Learning by-subsidy to 14 training institutes. The offer is now available on the government website. Employees can register at a participating training institute.

1. NL Learning by is not limited to employees, but is available to everyone from 18 years to retirement age with a relationship to the labour market, including flex workers and self-employed.

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