Individual training leave

PDF Version
Name of the instrument - Local language
Permiso individual de formación
Name of the instrument - English translation
Individual training leave
Scheme ID
79
Country
Spain
Reporting year
2020
Type of instrument
Training leave
Sub-type of instrument
Paid leave - only employer and employee are involved
Type of entry
Single instrument
Short description

Employees can participate in vocational education and training while receiving their wages. All employees (in companies that pay the professional training fee to Social Security, 'cuota de formación profesional' in Spanish) are eligible (except for employees in public administration). This short term leave allows an employee to carry out an officially recognised training activity during working time, with no direct cost for the company. The eligible duration of the training leave is 1-25 working days. Employers can deduct the costs related to employees' training leave from their contributions to the social security system. The individual training leave pays for the salary costs of the employee (base salary, seniority and fixed complements) while he/she is attending training. The payment is limited to 200 hours per year and per employee. Only training time devoted to face-to-face learning (classes and tutorials) can be included in these 200 hours. Training programmes eligible must lead to a formal qualification (formal education). Employees can use the training leave once in each calendar year.

Level of operation
National
Name of a part of the country
Not applicable
Name of the region (for regional instruments)
Not applicable
Name of the sector (for sectoral instruments)
Not applicable
Relevance
Key instrument
Royal Decree 694/2017, of 3 July, developing Law 30/2015 of 9th September, which regulates the Vocational Education and Training System for Employment
Objective(s) and target(s)
The main objective of the Individual Training Leave is to promote and expand training among companies and workers, responding to their needs. More generally, this initiative aims at contributing to the development of a knowledge-based economy. The Individual Training Leave allows a worker to carry out a training action that is recognised by means of an official qualification or accreditation. The employer must authorise this leave, which must be applied for by the employee in writing, using the official application form.
Year of implementation
1993
Year of latest amendment
2017
Operation/management
To begin with, it is the employee that submits an official application form to the employer showing their interest in attending training and applying for a training leave. That is, the employee must ask for permission to the employer to enjoy this leave, submitting an official form. The employer could deny it, but only due to organisational or production reasons. Workers' representatives must be informed on applications, denials and approvals. The individual training leave pays for the salary costs of the employee (base salary, seniority and fixed complements) while he / she is attending training. Thus, the individual training leave has no costs for the company: the company can deduct all the costs (i.e. the salary corresponding to the time while the employee is out) from the contributions to the social security system. Each individual training leave can have a maximum duration of 200h per person and per year and the training must be officially accredited. Training must promote the personal and/or professional development of the employee (it does not have to be necessarily linked to his/her current job). The company must inform Fundae (State Foundation for Training in Employment) on all the individual training leaves authorised, both at their start and at their end. It is national legislation that regulates the conditions, and public authorities carefully revise that requirements are fulfilled before accepting the deduction in social security contributions.
Eligible group(s)
All employees (in companies that pay the professional training fee to Social Security, 'cuota de formación profesional' in Spanish) are eligible (except for employees in public administration).
Group(s) with preferential treatment
No preferential treatment. All employees (in companies that pay the professional training fee to Social Security) are eligible (except for employees in public administration)
Education and training eligible
Training programmes eligible must lead to a formal qualification (formal education), i.e. training must be recognised by means of an official qualification or accreditation. Training must promote the personal and/or professional development of the employee (it does not have to be necessarily linked to his/her current job). Training which must be compulsorily offered by the company to its staff (e.g. H&S issues) cannot be part of this training leave.
Source of financing and collection mechanism
The funding for the Individual Training Leave comes from companies' professional training fees ('cuota de formación profesional' in Spanish) paid to social security (this percentage is of 0.7% of the payroll; 0.6% paid by the companies and 0.1% by the employees). Companies can fund salary costs with the so-called 'annual training credit', which is a specific amount of money that companies have available every year to cover training costs (this 'credit' is not a loan, but money already available to pay for subsidised training). The amount depends on the size of the company and the social security contributions of the previous year. It is Fundae (State Foundation for Training in Employment) that manages the funding arrangement. If salary costs associated with individual training leaves in a company are higher than 5% of its annual training credit, the company can get more financial resources, up to the limit established each year by the Annual State Budget Law. That is, there is an additional credit for training leaves that allows for additional funding based on the number of training hours. The maximum additional 'credit' depends on the number of employees: in the case of 1-9 employees, the additional credit for companies can cover the salary costs of 200 hours; in the case of 10-49, 400 hours; in the case of 50-249, 600 hours; in the case of 250-499, 800 hours; and salary costs of 200 hours for each 500 workers more in the company. In the case of the individual training leave, the payment is limited to 200 hours per year and per employee. Only face-to-face learning (classes and tutorials) can be included in these 200 hours. Fundae has a budget devoted to aids for companies in form of social security deductions (demand-side schemes), to cover costs related to the training delivered/planned by companies, or 'formación programada por las empresas', and individual training leaves, or 'permiso individual de formación'. Information on this budget is not available disaggregated for the two instruments. Only the overall figure (including both training delivered by companies and individual training leaves) is available. In 2019, aids for companies had an allocated budget of EUR 661 368 300. In 2018, EUR 661 368 300, the same as in 2019. In 2017, EUR 632 888 320.
Financing formula and allocation mechanisms
Individual Training Leaves are financed with the professional training fees ('cuota de formación profesional' in Spanish) paid by companies to the Social Security. When an employee is on individual training leave, the company does not have to cover his/her salary costs. It is the Social Security that finances the employee's salary, so that the employee receives his/her wage normally. The company deducts from its monthly contributions to the Social Security the amount that corresponds to the employee's salary. Thus, the company pays a lower amount to the social security, to compensate for the salary costs of the employee on training leave.
Eligible costs
The individual training leave pays for the salary costs of the employee (base salary, seniority and fixed complements) while he / she is attending training. The payment is limited to 200 hours per year and per employee. Only training time devoted to face-to-face learning (classes and tutorials) can be included in these 200 hours.
Volumes of funding
Not available
Beneficiaries/take up
5 461 in 2019
Organisation responsible for monitoring/evaluation
Fundae, State Foundation for Training in Employment, charged with the management of public funds, aimed at helping companies to train their workers and at supplying free training courses for workers.
Monitoring/evaluation reports available
Implementation report for the annual plan for the evaluation of the quality, impact, effectiveness and efficiency of the entire system of vocational training for employment in the labour sphere - 2017-2018 In Spanish: https://www.sistemanacionalempleo.es/pdf/Resumen_ejecutivo_PAE_2017-201… In English: https://www.sistemanacionalempleo.es/pdf/Abstract_PAE_2017-2018_Ingles_… Most important section: Block 4: Evaluation of training scheduled by companies and individual trainig leaves 2017-2018 (Fundae).
Most relevant webpage - in English
https://www.fundae.es/docs/default-source/empresas/documentos/permisos_…
Most relevant webpage - local language
https://www.fundae.es/docs/default-source/empresas/documentos/permisos_…
Recent changes

2017. Royal Decree 694/2017, which develops Law 30/2015 for the regulation of the System for Vocational Training for employment, regulates several measures and initiatives in this field, including the Individual Training Leave. However, the terms and conditions of the Individual Training Leave in particular are basically the same as those included in previous norms (Royal Decree 395/2007 and Order TAS/2307/2007). For instance, in Royal Decree 694/2017, there is a little amendment which highlights that training which must be compulsorily offered by the company (e.g. H&S issues) cannot be part of this training leave. Overall, the regulation for the Individual Training Leave has not really changed from 2007 onwards. Amendments in 2017 are just little changes following other regulations approved (in different fields of action which could not be related to training), which indirectly affect this Individual Training Leave, but which do not really modify it.

Recent changes in response to COVID-19

No changes

Sources
Royal Decree 694/2017 for the development of Law 30/2015 https://www.boe.es/boe/dias/2017/07/05/pdfs/BOE-A-2017-7769.pdf
https://www.fundae.es/docs/default-source/empresas/documentos/permisos_… Information by Fundae on Individual Training Leaves
On this page: