ESF Sustainable Employability 2020

What are ‘sustainable’ employees?

Employees who work in a healthy way, and are motivated, competent and productive both now and in the future. You can hire advice from an advisor regarding the following topics:

• Promoting healthy and safe working, including a healthier lifestyle, reducing work stress and undesirable behavior in the workplace.
• Promoting a culture of learning, including the recognition of non-company specific knowledge and skills.
• Stimulating the internal mobility of workers, anticipating individual ambitions and development opportunities and guiding employees towards entrepreneurship.
• Promoting a flexible work culture, including the introduction of flexible working time management.

For whom is the ESF Sustainable Employability?

How much is the subsidy worth?

What are the conditions?

Which requirements must your project meet in order to be eligible for a subsidy? Below are a number of criteria: 

• The applicant must employ a minimum of 2 employees.
• A project can last a maximum of twelve months. The duration of this project period starts the day after the date on which the subsidy is granted and ends twelve months later.
• The focus of your project is one of this project’s themes. 
• Only the direct costs of the consultants are eligible. These costs are capped at €100 per hour. Additional consultant costs, such as travel and accommodation costs, material costs, VAT and lost time are not eligible for the subsidy.
• VAT and costs incurred in training are not included in the scheme.

Example ESF subsidy

Company X has taken steps in recent years to reduce absenteeism figures. Now is the time to focus on sustainable employability. With financial support from ESF, an advisor can be hired to advise on staff ambitions and development opportunities. Are you curious to know if your project is eligible? If so, do not hesitate to contact us.

Where can you find a suitable advisor?

We have a lot of experience in applying for the ESF subsidy. That is why we have an extensive network of consultants in the fields of health, team building, absenteeism and time management.

The European Social Fund

ESF stands for European Social Fund. This fund is the main financial instrument of the European Union to promote employment within Europe. In the Netherlands, the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment coordinates how the money is spent.

What obligations does ESF entail?

When you are eligible for an ESF subsidy, certain obligations must be met. For example, you must prepare a final report and you must actively communicate that the European Union (EU) is involved in your project.

Apply for an ESF subsidy?

The ESF does not currently have any new openings. A new ESF program for the period 2021-2027 will start in 2021. The budget is still under negotiation in Brussels.

Update: Due to the major impact of the coronavirus crisis on ESF projects, a large proportion of projects are currently on hold. Projects with an end date of March 1, 2020 or later will be extended by six months. This will give subsidy recipients more time to implement and finalize their subsidized project.

SLIM subsidy for learning and development

Hoping to encourage employees to learn and develop in 2020? SMEs and large companies with an initiative aimed at learning and developing among employees may be eligible for a SLIM subsidy.