Flemish training leave

With Flemish training leave you may be absent from work for up to 125 hours per school year to follow a recognised training, keeping your pay (capped at 3,714 euros gross per month in school year 2025-2026). Your employer receives a flat reimbursement from the Flemish government.

For whom and which trainings?

You qualify if you work in the Flemish Region in the private sector and are sufficiently employed (entry conditions tighten from 1 September 2026: at least 50 percent employment). The training must be registered in the Flemish training database: think of an associate degree in electromechanics, PLC courses, refrigeration, safety coordination or language training. Career-oriented trainings after career guidance also count. On your employer's proposal, the hours can rise to 250 per year.

How does it work financially?

During the hours taken your employer continues your normal pay, capped at a wage ceiling (3,714 euros gross per month in school year 2025-2026); if you earn more, the cap applies for those hours. The employer afterwards reclaims a flat amount per hour from the Flemish government, so refusing training leave because it costs money is usually a false argument. You request the leave from your employer with your enrolment certificate; the planning is fixed in mutual consultation.

Why it is gold for technicians

In industry, certificates partly determine your market value: those obtaining a PLC course, refrigeration certificate or BA4-BA5 attestation through training leave largely study at the government's expense and climb faster in pay scale and function class. If you work in Brussels or Wallonia, the federal paid educational leave exists with its own rules.