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Thanks to the quality label Q*For awarded to Call International, it has been recognised as an official training institute for “Chèques formation et langues ” and for the getting of grants from the Regions. |
For companies and self-employed people
A) Grants from the Brussels-Capital Region
SMEs in the Brussels-Capital Region wishing to make use of the services of an external language training provider can obtain funding (under the terms of Brussels legislation on economic expansion).
How the system works:
SMEs whose workers undergo language training can receive a grant of 50% of the course fee, not including expenses (accommodation, travel, etc), subject to the following conditions:
- The minimum admissible course fee is €500
- Grants are capped at €7,500
- Applications may be made for a maximum of three courses per calendar year
Who can apply for this funding?
This funding is reserved for SMEs and self-employed people located in the Brussels-Capital Region.
An SME is a company which meets all of the following conditions:
- the workforce may not exceed 250 people
- the turnover must be less than €40 million or the balance sheet total must be less than €27 million
- no more than 25% of the capital may be held by one or more large companies (unless they are public investment companies or venture capital companies).
Procedure for obtaining the funding:
1. Submission of application
The application form and enrolment form must be submitted by the party requesting funding.
2. Registration of application
Once the properly completed and signed forms have been received by the Administration, the application is registered. The date of registration and the application number are then communicated to the company.
3. Payment from the Brussels-Capital Region
Only costs incurred after the registration date are eligible for funding.
Would you like more information?
Contact the Ministry of the Brussels-Capital Region:
B) Training Cheques from the Walloon Region
(Training Cheques include both Training Cheques and Language Training Cheques)
Training Cheques from the Walloon Region have been created to encourage language training for self-employed people and SMEs.
How the system works
Using the Training Cheques system, Forem wishes to subsidise language training undergone by self-employed people and employees of SMEs located in the Walloon Region.
Under the system, they can purchase Training Cheques with a face value of €30, at a cost of €15 each. Thus for every €15 spent on training, Forem contributes an extra €15.
If the hourly training fee is less than €30, Forem will pay €15 to the training provider, and the excess will be refunded to the client (and can be used to partly cover the salary cost).
Who can use the Training Cheques system?
- SMEs
- Self-employed people
Procedure for obtaining Training Cheques
1. Registration in the Training Cheques system
To do this, simply fill in and send off the registration form and declaration to Forem Conseil by post or fax (see details on form) :
If you satisfy the criteria for receiving grants from the Walloon Region, you will be sent confirmation of your registration, along with details of how to order cheques (authorisation number, bank account, etc).
Every calendar year, the self-employed person or company needs to re-register in the Training Cheques system. This is in order to verify that the conditions for obtaining grants under the system are still satisfied.
2. Enrolment on and participation in a language course provided by Call International
With Language Training Cheques, you can take a language course with Call International that is wholly or partially subsidised by Forem.
3. Ordering Training Cheques
Once your registration in the system has been c.onfirmed, you can order virtual cheques by making a transfer to the Sodexho bank account, quoting your authorisation number as structured message. The amount payable is the number of cheques required (a maximum of one cheque per participant per hour of training) multiplied by €15.
Once your payment has been received, the cheques will be available in your account.
4. Application for a user code
Once you have received your order confirmation, you can go to the secure SoEasy extranet site to apply for a user code.
5. Transmission of information to Call International
Your authorisation number and user code must be given to Call International before the course begins.
Would you like more information?
Contact Forem Conseil on 071/20.63.78, the Sodexho training unit on 02/547.55.86, or one of our centres (Contact).
C) Grants from the Flemish Region
BEA stands for Budget for Economic Advice. This is the name that has been given to the integrated grant scheme enabling small and medium-sized companies to acquire language training services with the support of the Flemish government.
How the system works
Small and medium-sized companies can receive a grant of 35% of the eligible costs.
The grant must be applied for via the Internet, since the applications and the processing, allocation and management of the grants are carried out entirely by means of an electronic portfolio.
Who can use the Training Cheques system?
- Small and medium-sized companies, including practitioners of the liberal professions and one-person companies, located in the Flemish Region.
These companies must conform with the regulations of the Flemish Region, and must belong to the private sector (less than 25% government-controlled)
- Service providers, if they use an approved third-party service provider and satisfy the conditions for small and medium-sized companies
Procedure for obtaining Language Training Cheques
Would you like more information?
Contact BEA on the free number 1700
For individuals
A) Language Cheques from the Brussels-Capital Region
The Brussels-Capital Region Language Cheques have been introduced in order to increase job-seekers’ language skills.
How the system works
Actiris offers two types of Language Cheques intended to subsidise language course attendance.
- Job Language Cheques are intended to make finding work easier for job-seekers whose lack of language skills (French, Dutch, German, English) is the only obstacle to their finding a job.
In this way, they offer job-seekers the possibility of free language training after starting work or registering as self-employed.
- Professional Project Language Cheques are aimed at all job-seekers at the start of their careers.
In this way, they offer job-seekers the possibility of undergoing specific language training either in order to acquire a working knowledge of the second or third national language, or to perfect their current language skills.
Who can use Language Cheques?
- Job-seekers who are registered with Actiris.
- Primarily self-employed people living in Brussels.
Procedure for obtaining Language Cheques
The procedure for obtaining Language Cheques varies according to the type of cheque:
- For Job Language Cheques
1. Contact the Language Section at Actiris
Phone 02/505.11.97 to make an appointment for a language test.
2. Test the level of your language skills
This is an individual computerised test to assess your foreign language skills.
3. Receipt of a voucher
Depending on your skills and needs, you will receive a voucher for obtaining a Job Language Cheque once you have signed an employment contract.
4. Receipt of the Job Language Cheque
Once you have signed your employment contract, you will receive a Job Language Cheque which will enable you to undergo free language training.
5. Enrolment on and participation in a language course provided by Call International
With your Job Language Cheque you can take an individual language course with Call International which is 100% funded by Actiris. The number of hours of training will be determined by the employment adviser on the basis of your language test.
- For Professional Project Language Cheques
1. Contact the Language Section at Actiris
Phone 02/505.11.97 to make an appointment for a language test.
2. Test the level of your language skills
This is an individual computerised test to assess your foreign language skills.
3. Receipt of a Professional Project Language Cheque
You will receive a Professional Project Language Cheque which will enable you to undergo free language training.
4. Enrolment on and participation in a language course provided by Call International
With your Professional Project Language Cheques you can take a language course with Call International which is 100% funded by Actiris. The number of hours of training and the mode of training (individual or group) will be determined by the employment adviser on the basis of your language test.
Would you like more information?
Contact the Language Section at Actiris on 02/505.11.97 or one of our centres (Contact).
B) Training Cheques from the Walloon Region
If you are employed in an SME or are a self-employed person in the Walloon Region, then you can undergo language training through your company that is partially or totally subsidised by Forem.
For more information, see the chapter ‘Funding for language training – For companies – Language Cheques from the Walloon Region’
C) Training Cheques from the Flemish Region
The Training Cheques from the Flemish Region have been introduced in order to improve the language skills of employees and temporary workers living in Flanders or the Brussels Region.
The Flemish Region will pay 50% of the cost of training through the Training Cheques system.
How the system works
With Training Cheques from the Flemish Region, you can decide where and when to take your language course yourself.
However, it must:
- Be given by a registered training provider (such as Call International)
- Help improve your employability
- Be your own decision rather than something your employer has told you to do
The language course may be attended:
- Outside your normal hours of work, or
- During periods when your employment contract is legally suspended, or
- During training leave
Whenever you pay for a language course with Training Cheques, the Flemish government will pay half the value of the cheque. Thus you can buy Training Cheques costing €2.50, €5 or €12.50 each with a face value of €5, €10 and €25 respectively. In this way, however much you pay, the Flemish Region gives you the same again.
You can purchase up to €250 of Training Cheques per calendar year.
Who can use these Training Cheques?
- Employees and temporary workers living in the Flemish or Brussels Regions.
- Those with additional entitlement:
- Anyone without a diploma of secondary or higher education.
- People who have just received career guidance and are starting training.
Procedure for obtaining Language Training Cheques
You can apply for Cheques up to two months after starting your course or taking an exam or test. You then have 14 months to use them. The start and finish dates are shown on the Cheque.
VDAB has signed a contract with Accor for the issuing of Cheques. You therefore need to contact Accor to pay for and receive Cheques.
Once the cheques have been ordered from Accor, the VDAB will check that you satisfy the relevant requirements. If this is not the case, Accor will refund you any money paid.
Would you like more information?
Contact the VDAB on 0800/30.700 between 8 am and 8 pm on working days, or visit a VDAB office.
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