training credit for temporary employees

training credit for temporary employees

Have you worked as a temporary employee in our sector for 10 days? Then as of 1 January, you can benefit from 600 euros of training credit.

All temporary employees having worked for at least 10 days in 2025 or 2026 are entitled to a training credit of € 600 per year.

The nature of the job is of no importance, as long as you were directly employed by an employer belonging to joint committee 304.

Previously you had to have a valid contract during the training. This is no longer necessary. There is even better news: if you do not benefit from any government allowances at the time of the training, we will pay you a salary for a maximum of 5 training days per year.

Apply for your credit via this form, as soon as you have registered for a course. Missing documents can still be sent to us later on, up until 2 months after the course has ended. (more information further down below).

What can you do with the training credit?

You can spend the bonus on training courses for your professional development within the music and performing arts sector. These may be courses we organise ourselves. The cost will then automatically be offset against your credit, so that in most cases you will not have to pay anything yourself. But the training may also be organised by another provider.

If this is the case, we would like to ask you to submit an application beforehand. We will then immediately check if you have worked enough days and whether the training qualifies for reimbursement. You are kindly requested to first pay for the training yourself. As soon as you have provided us with a certificate of attendance and an invoice, we will ensure you are reimbursed.

Possible training courses:

• artistic development, master classes, inspiration sessions, ...
• well-being: dealing with stress or stage fright, ergonomic ways of working, ...
• organisation: self-promotion, how to make optimum use of social media, digital business models, negotiation techniques, ...
• software: how to start a podcast, how to work with light or sound software, ...
• …

The following are not eligible: 

• individual therapies, such as psychotherapy, physiotherapy, etc.
• coaching sessions, individually or collectively
• sessions to maintain your physical and mental health, such as fitness, yoga, pilates, meditation, sophrology or mindfulness
• (private) lessons that are not announced publicly 
• training courses for obtaining a driving license type AM, A or B

How long and for which organisation must I have worked for?

The number of working days is 10. These can be spread over different organisations. They do not have to be consecutive. It does not matter how long the working day lasted (preferably not too long of course).

On the working day you have to be directly employed by the client/employer. Consequently, interim work, self-employed work or work paid with a so-called ‘AKV’ (small remuneration for artists) does not qualify.

The credit is strictly limited to organisations belonging to joint committee 304 in the Dutch-speaking area of the country. These are organisations from the sector of the performing arts and music, such as theatre or dance companies, orchestras, production companies, concert buildings, art organisations, festivals, booking offices, ... They are active in the disciplines of music, dance, theatre, circus and live performance arts.

Institutions or organisations not belonging to this joint committee are: (art) schools, most cultural centres, the socio-cultural sector, third-party payers such as Smart, temporary employment agencies, ...

If you have doubts, you can always ask us or your employer whether you qualify.

No contract or allowance during training: we'll pay your wage. 

If, during the training days, you do not have a contract with an employer or if you do not receive an allowance for that day, we will pay you a wage. This payment is limited to a maximum of five training days per year. Please note: this offer is not available if your training takes place abroad.

Why this adaptation?

The social partners want to create an incentive for employers in our sector to directly hire temporary employees, so that they can fully profit from sector benefits such as an end-of-year bonus, a trade-union bonus (only with subsidized employers) and a supplementary pension.

As of 1 January 2021, the training credit of € 600 per year is added to these benefits. Employees with long-term contracts were already familiar with the system, but as of 1 January it is also open to temporary employees.

How can I request this credit?

• For training courses we organise ourselves, you can simply register on our website. The price will automatically be deducted from your remaining balance of educational credit. 
• For the reimbursement of training courses from other organisers the process depends on your employment status. If you are directly employed under PC 304, then your employer can request the credit for you. They then pay for the course and once we’ve received an invoice and certificate of attendance we can process the (partial) refund. The required documents can be sent to us via email at the latest within 2 months after the course has ended to opleiding@podiumkunsten.be. For these requests, VAT is not reimbursed.
• Individual requests: If you are unemployed at the time of the course and have worked for at least 10 days either in 2025 or 2026 directly for an employer belonging to joint committee 304, then you can request the credit yourself by filling in this application form. You will need to send us an invoice and certificate of attendance at the latest within 2 months after the end of the course before we can process the (partial) refund. For individual requests, we do reimburse VAT.

Conditions:

• We can only pay back the actual training cost. If there are any accommodation or transport fees, then these are excluded.
• The training credit balance is reset on the 1st of January. Any remaining credit from the previous year cannot be transferred. 
• Each year we allocate an annual budget to finance the training credit. Once the overall annual budget has been spent we can no longer process new requests. Therefore, submit your application before the training starts. That way we can reserve the budget for it well in advance. 

Yearly maximum

Each organisation has a yearly maximum of 7.500 euros that can be requested. Here you can find the specific regulations for sectoral grants. 

Once the total budget for training credit has been spent, we can no longer approve new applications. It is therefore recommended to submit your application well in advance.  

Questions? Contact us via opleidingspremies@podiumkunsten.be.