Summary
The training voucher is a system set up by the Walloon Region to boost training in SMEs and among the self-employed. The objective is to make SMEs and self-employed people more competitive by increasing the efficiency and professional capabilities of their staff.
If a company wants to use training vouchers to pay for the training hours attended by its employees with a training operator, this operator must be approved by the Walloon Minister for Vocational Training.
The approval application is submitted to the Vocational Training Department of the Public Service of Wallonia.
Key points
- As of 4 May 2022, the "Training Vouchers" system is available on Mon Espace (My Space), Wallonia's online portal for citizens and companies. The "training vouchers" forms are now electronic.
- To help you use the new electronic form, the Vocational Training Department is holding a webinar on 21 June. If you are interested, contact cheque.formation@spw.wallonie.be.
In detail
To be approved, the training operator must:
- be a certified "training voucher" training provider following a certification audit by government-appointed certifiers;
- respect the social and tax legislation in force;
- present a description of the material resources and means available to ensure that the training courses are provided;
- have teaching staff and, if necessary, use temporary staff with technical skills and qualifications related to the training submitted for approval; the personnel are listed in the approval or renewal decision of the training operator;
- demonstrate effective experience in the field of vocational training;
- organise at least one transferable skills training.
The operator may be exempted from the Walloon Region's certification audit if it holds an ISO 9001, ISO 29990, ISO 29993 or CDO QFOR quality label related to the training activity.
To obtain this approval, the persons or companies responsible for training will be invited to be audited by a certifier designated by the Walloon Region.
Application for approval
The application for approval as a training operator is submitted to the Vocational Training Department of the Walloon Public Service through an electronic form accessible via "My Espace".
Approval is granted by the Regional Minister for Training for a renewable period of three years.
Approval renewal
The application for renewal must be received by the Vocational Training Department, using the electronic form, no earlier than 240 days (eight months) and no later than 120 days (four months) prior to the expiry of the current approval. Applications submitted after the deadline are considered approval applications and not renewals.
Extension of approval for a new course
During approval, the approved training operator can submit an additional application for approval, using the electronic form, for a new training course that it wishes to organise. The original accreditation is then extended to the new course.
Suspension or withdrawal of approval
The Government may suspend or withdraw the approval of a training operator who does not comply with the conditions specified in the regulations. It may also decide not to renew the training approval if the training operator has not organised an approved training course during the last three years of its approval.
Appeal against a decision
An administrative appeal may be lodged with the Vocational Training Department of the Walloon Public Service in the event of the refusal, suspension or withdrawal of approval. The address to send the appeal to is:
Public Service of Wallonia - Economy Employment Training Research
Department of Employment and Vocational Training
Vocational Training Department
Place de la Wallonie, 1 - Building II - B-5100 Jambes
The deadline for lodging an appeal is 15 calendar days from the date of receipt of the decision. The appeal is free of charge. The filing of an appeal does not suspend the effects of the adopted decision.