Apply for funding for continuing vocational training at the Jobcenter

General support for continuing education with the education voucher:

With an education voucher, the Jobcenter can cover all or part of the costs of your professional development. Before you receive an education voucher, the responsible job centre will check with you whether further training is necessary for you.

You can redeem the education voucher at an educational institution of your choice if it is approved for continuing education funding.

The continuing education measure itself must also be approved and fit in with the education voucher. Among other things, the education voucher specifies:

• the educational goal,
• the time it takes to achieve the educational goal,
• the content of the qualification,
• the regional scope, and
• the period of validity during which you must have redeemed the education voucher and started your participation.

In principle, the education voucher is valid at your place of residence and at places that you can reach daily from home.

The training costs that the Jobcenter will pay for you usually include:

• course costs and costs for the aptitude test,
• travel expenses,
• Costs for external accommodation and meals,
• Childcare costs.

Continuing education premiums:

If you start a further training course with which you acquire a vocational qualification in a recognised training occupation, you will receive EUR 1,000 for passing an intermediate examination regulated by law or a regulation and EUR 1,500 for passing the final examination.

Continuing education allowance:

If you participate in a degree-oriented continuing education course, you will receive a continuing education allowance of EUR 150 per month from 01.07.2023.

Citizen's Allowance Bonus:

If you participate in vocational training (of at least 8 weeks) for which you are not entitled to continuing education allowance, you will receive a citizen's allowance bonus of EUR 75 per month from 01.07.2023.

Subsequent acquisition of the lower secondary school leaving certificate:

Under certain conditions, funding is also available for the subsequent acquisition of the lower secondary school leaving certificate or an equivalent qualification.

Support for employees without a vocational qualification or with a vocational qualification that cannot be used (low-skilled workers):

If you do not yet have a vocational qualification or have not worked in your learned profession for more than 4 years and can no longer practice the profession you previously learned due to non-employment, you will be supported by taking part in further training measures for the subsequent acquisition of a vocational qualification by covering the costs of further training.

The following are included in these 4 years:

• Periods of employment in unskilled and semi-skilled work
• Unemployment
• Time to care for relatives
• Child-rearing times

If you are still in need of help during the training period according to SGB II, you will continue to receive your citizen's allowance during the further training.

Acquisition of basic skills:

Basic skills in reading, writing, mathematics or information and communication technologies can be promoted by your job centre under certain conditions, provided that these basic skills improve your employability on the labour market or that you would like to complete a vocational qualification afterwards.

Funding for employed workers:

The Federal Employment Agency is responsible for this type of support.

However, the responsible job centre can advise you on the further training of employees, especially if they work in occupations that can be replaced by technologies or are otherwise affected by structural change or are seeking further training in a bottleneck occupation, i.e. in an occupation in which there is a shortage of skilled workers.

In principle, your employer must contribute to the costs of the course. He can also receive wage subsidies while you are doing further training. The size of the share depends on the size of the company:

• Allowances for wages:
  • up to 25 percent for companies with 250 or more employees,
  • up to 50 percent for small and medium-sized enterprises (10 to 249 employees) and
  • up to 75 per cent for micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees).
• Subsidies for the course costs:
  • 100 percent in micro-enterprises with up to 9 employees,
  • up to 50 percent in companies with up to 249 employees,
  • up to 25 percent in companies with 250 or more employees,
  • up to 15 percent for large companies with 2,500 or more employees,
  • up to 100 percent in small and medium-sized enterprises (up to 249 employees) for older employees (aged 45 and over) or employees with a severe disability.
• In addition, up to 15 per cent higher subsidies for the course costs and remuneration in the case of a collective agreement or a works agreement on vocational qualification or in the event of special further training needs.
• Assumption of the full course costs and wage subsidy of up to 100 percent in the case of participation of low-skilled workers in further training with the aim of obtaining a vocational qualification.

With an education voucher, the job centre can cover all or part of the costs of your further vocational training. Before you receive an education voucher, the responsible job centre will check with you whether further training is necessary for you.

You can redeem the education voucher at an educational institution of your choice if it is approved for further education funding.

The training measure itself must also be approved and match the education voucher. The education voucher specifies, among other things:

• the educational objective,
• the time it takes to achieve the educational goal,
• the contents of the qualification,
• the regional scope, and
• the period of validity during which you must have redeemed the education voucher and started your participation.

The education voucher is generally valid at your place of residence and in places that you can reach daily from home.

The training costs that the job centre pays for you usually include:

• course costs and costs for the aptitude test,
• travel expenses,
• costs for external accommodation and meals,
• Cost of caring for children.

Training bonuses:

If you start further training before 31.12.2023 with which you acquire a vocational qualification in a recognised training occupation, you will receive EUR 1,000 for passing an intermediate examination regulated by law or an ordinance and EUR 1,500 for passing the final examination.

Subsequent acquisition of the secondary school leaving certificate:

Under certain conditions, the subsequent acquisition of the lower secondary school leaving certificate or an equivalent qualification is also funded.

Support for employees without a vocational qualification or with a non-usable vocational qualification (low-skilled):

If you do not yet have a vocational qualification or have not worked in your learned profession for more than 4 years and can no longer practice the profession you learned earlier due to alienation from your profession, you will be supported by taking over the costs of further training if you participate in further training measures for the subsequent acquisition of a vocational qualification.

These 4 years include:

• Periods of employment in unskilled and semi-skilled work
• Unemployment
• Periods for caring for relatives
• Child-rearing times

If you are still in need of help during the training period according to SGB II, you will continue to receive your citizen's allowance during the further training.

Acquisition of basic skills:

If you still lack basic skills in the areas of reading, writing, mathematics or information and communication technologies for further training with which you want to acquire a vocational qualification, the job centre can also promote further training in these areas under certain conditions.

Support for employed workers:

The Employment Agency is responsible for this type of funding.

However, the responsible job centre can advise you on the further training of employees, especially if they work in occupations that can be replaced by technologies or are otherwise affected by structural change or are seeking further training in a bottleneck occupation, i.e. in an occupation in which there is a shortage of skilled workers.

In principle, your employer must contribute to the course costs. He can also receive wage subsidies while you are undergoing further training. How large the share is depends on the size of the company:

• Wage subsidies:
  • up to 25 percent for companies with 250 or more employees,
  • up to 50 percent for small and medium-sized enterprises (10 to 249 employees) and
  • up to 75 percent for micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees).
• Subsidies for the course costs:
  • 100 percent in micro-enterprises with up to 9 employees,
  • up to 50 percent in companies with up to 249 employees,
  • up to 25 percent in companies with 250 or more employees,
  • up to 15 percent for large companies with 2,500 or more employees,
  • up to 100 percent in small and medium-sized enterprises (up to 249 employees) for older employees (from the age of 45) or employees with a severe disability.
• In addition, up to 15 percent higher subsidies for course costs and remuneration in the event of a collective agreement or a company agreement on vocational qualification or in the event of special training needs.
• Assumption of the full course costs and wage subsidy of up to 100 percent for low-skilled persons participating in further training with the aim of obtaining a vocational qualification