Considerable support for lifelong learning
Today’s employers are fully aware of the need for their people to benefit from on-going training, not least because it is often easier to develop talent internally than to recruit from a tight labour market. Financial support for in-company training is provided through the state’s co-financing scheme.
State-backed training support
Luxembourg companies carrying out their main activities in the country receive training aid equivalent to as much as 15% of the taxable sum invested annually. This is granted in various ways. This can be the salaries of participants during the training period, the fees of trainers, the costs of approved external training organisations and trainer suppliers, travel costs, accommodation, catering costs, and more.
KEY FIGURE
15%
A company can benefit from annual training co-financing of up to 15% of the sums invested
Training aid can be substantial, but is capped depending on the size of the company: at 20% of the wage bill for companies with 1-9 employees, 3% of the wage bill for companies with 10-249 employees and 2% of the wage bill for companies with more than 249 staff.
What about training support outside the company?
There are also schemes for employees who wish to be trained outside the company premises. These include individual training leave, unpaid leave and the possibility for flexible working hours as part of a training programme. However, these rights are quite limited.
Everyone is entitled to 80 days individual training leave throughout their career, with this capped at 20 days over every two year period. However, this is probably not enough time to completely reorient a career through a full programme of retraining, or for a training course leading to qualifications. Funding for the courses must come entirely from the employee.
KEY FIGURE
80 days
Over the course of a career, an employee can claim up to 80 days of individual training leave
While unpaid leave allows employees to devote more time to acquiring new skills, the option is not very financially attractive.
Strengthening support for individual training
Given current challenges, the Chamber of Employees has recently called for a review of the training programmes offered to individuals throughout a professional career. It supports the adoption of models to allow all citizens to benefit from a certain number of dedicated training days, which could be accumulated from year to year, and which would also receive financial aid. This is the model of personal training accounts used in France. The advantage of such a system is that this portable right it is linked to the employee, and directly empowers the individual to take the initiative independently of their employer.
