CAO for Theatre and Dance

Chapter 8Career management

    Article 8.1 | Career hours

    1. Goal and target group
      Promoting long-term career management and long-term employability is a responsibility of both the employer and the employee. The employer pursues a personnel policy that is geared towards different phases of life and long-term employability. The content of the policy is subject to the conditions below. These conditions are not applicable to employees employed as dancers, as this specific professional group comes under the scheme of Omscholing Dans Nederland. See the relevant article in this CAO.
    2. Maintaining employability
      1. At least once a year, the employer and employee talk about the progress of the employee’s internal and external employability.
      2. This talk is held partly in relation to agreements about the career hours (see below) and can be linked to the performance and/or appraisal interview.
      3. The agreements made in this talk are recorded in writing in an action plan.
      4. Employees will adopt a proactive attitude to increasing their internal and external employability, and to fulfil the agreements made with regard to their employability.
      5. The employer holds consultation with an employee who is not/no longer functioning optimally about the possibilities of changing job or tasks and about any associated refresher courses, retraining and changes in hours and/or salary.
      6. In realising the agreements made, use can be made of the employee’s career hours referred to below.
    3. Accruing career hours
      1. The employee has 24 career hours per year in the case of full-time employment. Saving up career hours is maximised at 24 days (of 8 hours) in the case of full-time employment. After this, no more accrual takes place until hours that have already been saved have been taken. In the case of part-time employment, the accrual of career hours applies pro rata.
      2. The career hours are granted annually on an advance basis in hours (time). If the contract of employment is interrupted in the interim or if the part-time employment factor changes, there will be a recalculation. No limitation period applies to the career hours. On termination of employment, the hours that have not been taken will lapse, unless the termination is on the employer’s initiative, except in the case of dismissal for urgent reasons.
      3. Employees who are partially incapacitated for work under the WAO/WIA and who carry out work for the employer for the part that they are able to work accrue career hours proportionate to the hours worked.
    4. Aim of the career hours and how they are used
      1. The aim of the career hours is to promote the long-term employability of the employee. The following conditions apply to using the career hours:
        • the hours are used in the first place for leave for the purpose of training, refresher courses or retraining, or other activities that directly benefit the labour market position of the employee. For a contribution to financing, employees can submit a request to the career scheme of the SFPK, in compliance with the regulations and procedures of this scheme. If it concerns training assigned by the employer, then Article 48 Refresher courses will apply.
        • in second place, the hours can be used for other leave purposes, e.g. supplementary care leave or reduction in working hours (up to a maximum of 50%) directly prior to retirement.
      2. The career hours are used on the basis of agreement between the employee and the employer. Every year, the employer and employee talk about this and make concrete agreements about the use and future use of the hours. The agreements are recorded in writing.
      3. The employee must submit leave requests, in compliance with the aforementioned aims of use and following the agreements made with the employer, as soon as possible to the employer. If the employee wishes to take leave of one month or longer, this leave must be requested in writing at least three months before the leave commences. The employer grants the request unless it conflicts with urgent organisational or shift interests.

    Article 8.2 | Refresher courses

    1. The employer may instruct the employee to take training or refresher courses that are necessary for carrying out the employee’s job in the employer’s organisation. Insofar as applicable under the SFPK scheme, the employer and employee may apply for financial support from this fund.
    2. The costs of training or refresher courses assigned by the employer are paid in full by the employer, and the training or refresher course activities take place during working hours as far as possible.
      This does not apply to training that is necessary for a certificate or diploma that the employee must have as a starting qualification on entering employment.
    3. Training that the employer must provide by law includes training as referred to in Article 7:611a paragraph 1 CC. This concerns, for example, training related to an improvement programme or a refresher course related to a new computer system) and training that enables continuation of the contract of employment should the employee’s job disappear.
    4. The following costs associated with the training or refresher course are paid by the employer:
      • necessary course and lesson fees;
      • exam and diploma costs;
      • costs of purchasing mandatory study material;
      • costs of travelling to lesson and/or exam locations, in accordance with the company’s usual scheme.
    5. If lessons for training or refresher courses take place during the agreed working hours, leave will be granted for them. Days off will be granted for taking exams. Lessons and exams that take place outside the agreed working hours will not be compensated in working hours, in principle.