Residents of the Netherlands can apply again for a STAP budget grant in two weeks’ time.
After a major malfunction in which no one could apply for the subsidy of €1000, The Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) will move the STAP training budget application round to Friday, March 17, reports the NOS.
What is it again?
The STAP subsidy is a government budget directed at helping employees of the Dutch labour market advance their career skills via training and education.
The subsidy covers €1000 of the costs of listed training programs so that employees can learn skills without having to stress about spending money — echt fijn!
READ MORE | Learn the most in-demand digital skills for free with STAP!
The technical problem
Every year, there are a number of registration times, where people can stand in an online queue in advance to apply.
According to the UWV, the online web portal was not accessible due to a “combination of a technical error and large crowds,” with 300,000 people logging in simultaneously.
Ronald van Zijp, STAP national manager at UWV, has addressed the chaos: “Of course, we immediately tried to solve the problem, but it soon became clear that this was not going to work. We had to make the decision to move the opening.”
New rules apply
Due to the great popularity of the subsidy, the benefits agency is working on a solution so that the web portal can handle “extreme” numbers of online users.
The web portal is scheduled to reopen at 10 AM on March 17 so that “interested parties have time to prepare for the new application date properly,” reports UWV.
However, there are now stricter rules for educators, and training providers to take measures against abuse and prevent scams.
These requirements include trainers not accepting more than 300-course participants per year, and trainers not being allowed to offer trips or gifts to get students to register with them.
Will you be applying for the new STAP budget date? Tell us in the comments below!