The long-awaited STAP budget round that was meant to open earlier today has been postponed due to MAJOR technical difficulties.
The government-funded training subsidy allows eligible employees to develop their professional skills via education and training.
The first round of 2023
A total of €170 million are allocated to the subsidy each year and split among applicants in several registration rounds. Each applicant can apply for a €1,000 contribution for the development of their professional skills.
READ MORE | Five facts about the STAP subsidy that will inspire you to upskill your career
This morning, during what was meant to be the first application round of 2023, hundreds of people were left waiting to get their hands on the contribution, but in vain.
Since the major technical malfunction could not be solved in the short term, the applications for the STAP budget have been closed for now, and will not be open until further notice.
Frustrated applicants
Frustrated applicants are taking to Twitter to express their anger (and confusion) with UWV, the benefits agency behind the STAP application.
Am I on the right page? Cuz I am seeing different “wachtrij” pages on here #stapbudget #help pic.twitter.com/WEKxV6j0Cq
— Jane Redelinghuys (@JaneDipsyNel) February 28, 2023
Wat een anticlimax #uwv #stapbudget pic.twitter.com/Dm4MoANdAg
— Cell D’olando 🌻 (@celldolando) February 28, 2023
#stapbudget RAGE, RAGE, FUCKING RAGE 😡🤬 pic.twitter.com/RHBfv3cgzW
— Jane Redelinghuys (@JaneDipsyNel) February 28, 2023
Chaos broke out at 10:30 AM when the STAP application website stopped working due to technical malfunctions.
As RTL Nieuws reports, the UWV had hoped to resolve the issue by 11 but did not manage.
Second postponement
After the technical malfunction, this will be the second time that this round of STAP applications will have to be postponed.
The round that should have originally taken place in January 2023 was initially postponed due to concerns that the budget was being misused.
For now, not much is known about when the application will be back up.
What do you think about the technical malfunction of the STAP application? Tell us in the comments!