The “ER” problem.

[leftsidestory]

This thing is probably one of the most annoying thing in Dutch.
I have this sentence from the text book I am using:

In deze brochure zet de Vlaamse regering een programma uiteen om werknemers aan te moedigen er iets bij te studeren en hun kansen op de arbeidsmarkt te vergroten.

Could anyone explain what the “er” after “aan te moedigen” mean/function is?

[LeSNT2]

It's because of the preposition 'bij'. 'studeren bij iets' (I assume combined with work in this context). You could change the sentence to: "In deze brochure zet de Vlaamse regering een programma uiteen om werknemers aan te moedigen te studeren naast hun werk en hun kansen op de arbeidsmarkt te vergroten."

[leftsidestory]

If bij is a preposition here, then why is there an extra “er” instead of changing “iets” into “er”?

I thought bij/studeren is a separable verb like aan/moedigen.

[BrutallyFrank]

If bij is a preposition here, then why is there an extra “er” instead of changing “iets” into “er”?

I thought bij/studeren is a separable verb like aan/moedigen.

In this case it's 'erbij studeren' and 'bijstuderen'. The first words (like in the sentence) are about broadening your expertise so you get a better chance on the job market.

'Bijstuderen' suggests that you're updating your skills. That could also increase your changes, but is different from what the original sentence means.

[leftsidestory]

So basically “er” here is the object of “bij” and “iets” is the object of “studeren” if I understood your explanation correctly. And “te studeren” literally functions as an infinitive of “aanmoedigen”?