Individual training leave

General information

Individual training leave enables the beneficiary to:

• attend training courses,
• prepare for and sit examinations,
• write dissertations,
• complete any other work related to an eligible training course.

In order to obtain individual training leave, private-sector employees must:

• be habitually employed at a workplace located in the Grand Duchy,
• have an employment contract with a company or association that is legally based and active in the Grand Duchy,
• have at least 6 months' service with their employer when the leave request is made.

Self-employed people and those pursuing liberal professions must:

• have been affiliated to the Luxembourg social security system for at least two years,
• have their business address in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg,
• be professionally active on Luxembourg territory.

This leave is also available to persons preparing for and taking part in a national or international championship or competition in connection with the promotion of vocational training, as well as to one accompanying person per candidate. Accompanying person means a person specialised in the professional field of the applicant taking part in the championship or competition (e.g. Luxskills, Euroskills and Worldskills). The accompanying person must be able to advise and supervise the applicant he or she is supporting.

Applicants do not need to meet any age or residency conditions.

Eligible training

Eligible training may be provided in Luxembourg or abroad by:

• Institutions with public or private school status recognised by the public authorities, and issuing certificates recognised by these same authorities,
• professional chambers,
• municipalities,
• foundations, individuals and private associations approved by the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth,
• ministries, government services and public bodies,
• private training bodies approved in Luxembourg or in another EU member state.

Training may or may not have a direct link to the trainee's current position. It may be held during working hours, in the evenings or at the weekend. Distance training is also eligible.

Training planned and co-funded by other legal provisions is not eligible.

Procedure

The request to take individual training leave must be submitted two months prior to the start of the leave being requested. The employer must give an opinion when the employee makes the request.

To submit the request, the employee must:

• fill in the form entitled Apply for training leave, available online via MyGuichet.lu
• obtain his/her employer's opinion;
• send the duly completed form and the requested supporting documents (training registration certificate indicating the total number of hours and the exact duration, certificate attesting affiliation to the Luxembourg social security scheme) to the Department of Vocational Training of the Ministry of Education, Children and Youth.

The employee receives notification by post of the number of days of leave granted.

After completing the course, he/she shall ask for an attestation in triplicate from the training provider, proving that the leave has indeed been used for the stated purpose, and must pass on two copies to his/her employer immediately.

The employer must:

• fill in the appropriate section on the employee's form requesting training leave, stating the his/her opinion and stating the reasons if the opinion is negative,
• fill in the reimbursement declaration available online via MyGuichet.lu, attach the documents requested (certificate(s) of participation, pay slip(s) for the corresponding period, employer's attestation indicating the exact date(s) of the day(s) of training leave actually taken, copy of the ministerial agreement, etc.) and send it all to the MENJE.

Negative opinion from the employer

The employer may not refuse a request to take training leave, but may express a negative opinion.

In the event of a negative opinion on the part of the employer:

• the leave can be deferred if the absence resulting from the leave sought may have a considerably harmful effect on company operations or the smooth running of annual paid leave for staff,
• the employee can still send the request form to the MENJE. The Ministry will pass it on to an advisory committee, which issues an opinion on the timescale for deferment. The MENJE will make its decision according to this opinion.

Self-employed people and those pursuing liberal professions can submit their request online via MyGuichet.lu.

The procedure is similar to the one described above; only the form and the documents requested are different. Following the training course, the self-employed person/person pursuing a liberal profession completes a reimbursement declaration together with an attestation of attendance and a certificate of income.

Number of days and duration

Calculating the number of days

The total number of days of training leave depends on the duration of the training course in hours as defined by the training body. It represents one-third of the time devoted to the training.

The number of training hours is converted into the number of work days: 8hrs of training = 1 work day.
The resulting quotient is divided by 3 to obtain the number of training leave days.
If required, the result is rounded down to the nearest unit.

Calculation example for a 30-hour training course

30/8 = 3.75 days of work
3.75/3 = 1.25 days of training leave (to be rounded down)
A 30-hour training course therefore entitles the participant to 1 day of training leave

Maximum length

Each beneficiary has 80 days of training leave that he/she can take throughout his/her professional career. A maximum of 20 training leave days can be granted over a 2-year period. Each 2-year period begins with the year in which the first individual training leave is taken.

Minimum length

The minimum duration of the training leave is one day. Therefore, applicants must enrol in a training course providing for at least 24 hours of training to be eligible for individual training leave (24 hours / 8 = 3 working days / 3 = 1 day of training leave).

For part-time employees, individual training leave days are calculated as a proportion of working time.

The legal provisions relating to social security and employment protection remain applicable for the duration of the training leave.

The period of training leave:

• is assimilated to days of actual work;
• cannot be deducted from days of annual recreational leave.

Compensatory allowance

For employees, each day of leave granted entitles the beneficiary to a compensatory allowance equal to his/her average daily salary paid by the employer. The employer advances the allowance and is reimbursed by the State for the amount of the allowance and for the employer's share of social security contributions.

For self-employed people and those pursuing liberal professions the compensatory allowance paid by the State is based on the income used during the last contributions year as the basis for calculating contributions to the pension insurance scheme.

The compensatory allowance cannot exceed four times the social minimum wage for unskilled workers (€10.283,72 / index 944,43 on 1 January 2024).

Each reimbursement declaration must be accompanied by a certificate indicating the accident insurance contribution rate for the year in which the training leave was taken.