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Vocational further education funding; application to the employment agency

If you would like to continue your professional training, the employment agency will cover the costs of further training for you under certain conditions. Funding for continuing vocational training is available for the unemployed and employees.

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Agentur für Arbeit Passau Geschäftsstelle Grafenau

Agentur für Arbeit Passau Geschäftsstelle Grafenau

Street address

Grüber Str. 9
94481 Grafenau

Postal address

94028 Passau

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Procedure details

General further education support with the education voucher:

With an education voucher, the Employment Agency can cover all or part of the costs of your continuing vocational education. Before you receive an education voucher, the responsible employment agency will check with you whether further education 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 further education measure itself must also be approved and fit the education voucher. The education voucher specifies, among other things:

  • the educational goal,
  • the duration until the educational goal is reached,
  • the contents of the qualification,
  • the regional area of application and
  • the period of validity in which you must have redeemed the education voucher and begun your participation.

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

The continuing education costs that the Employment Agency pays for you usually include:

  • Course costs and costs for determining suitability,
  • travel expenses,
  • Costs for lodging and meals away from home,
  • Costs for child care.

Continuing education bonuses:

In the context of a further training course sponsored by the Employment Agency and commenced before December 31, 2023, which leads to a qualification in a training occupation for which a training period of at least 2 years is stipulated under federal or state regulations, you will receive a further training premium of EUR 1,000 after passing an intermediate examination governed by these regulations and EUR 1,500 after 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 subsidized.

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 learned earlier due to occupational alienation, you will be subsidized by assumption of the costs of further training if you participate in further training measures for the subsequent acquisition of a vocational qualification.

The following are included in these 4 years

  • Periods of employment in unskilled and semi-skilled work
  • Unemployment
  • Periods spent caring for relatives
  • Periods spent raising children
  • Periods of marginal employment

If you are entitled to unemployment benefits prior to the start of your continuing education, unemployment benefits will also be paid to you for the period of continuing education.

Acquisition of basic skills:

If you still lack basic skills in reading, writing, mathematics or information and communication technologies, the Employment Agency can also support further training in these areas under certain conditions.

Funding for employed workers:

The Employment Agency can also support continuing education for employed workers, especially if they work in occupations that may be replaced by technology or are otherwise affected by structural change or are seeking continuing education in a bottleneck occupation, i.e., an occupation in which there is a shortage of skilled workers.

Your employer must generally contribute to the cost of the training. He or she 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 75% for microenterprises (up to 9 employees).
    • up to 50 % for small and medium-sized enterprises (10 to 249 employees) and
    • up to 25% for companies with 250 or more employees,
  • subsidies for training costs:
    • 100 % in micro-enterprises with up to 9 employees,
    • up to 50 % in companies with up to 249 employees,
    • up to 25 % in companies with 250 employees or more,
    • up to 15 % in large companies with 2,500 employees or more,
    • up to 100 % 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% higher subsidies for training costs and pay if there is a collective agreement or a company agreement on vocational training (plus 5%) and for special training needs (plus 10%).
  • Assumption of full course costs and pay subsidy of up to 100% for participation by low-skilled workers in employment in further training with the aim of obtaining a vocational qualification.

As a rule, the costs for your further education can be covered if

  • you have participated in counseling by the employment agency,
  • the further training is necessary to end your unemployment, to make up for a missing vocational qualification or to avert imminent unemployment
  • the individual employability is improved by the acquisition of extended professional skills and the further training is appropriate with regard to the labor market, and
  • the training measure and the training provider are approved for further training funding.

Funding is also possible for employees under certain conditions if

  • the further training goes beyond an exclusively job-related short-term adaptation further training,
  • the vocational qualification was obtained at least 4 years previously,
  • you have not participated in a vocational further training course subsidized by the employment agency in the last 4 years before submitting your application,
  • the further training is carried out outside the company or by an approved provider in the company,
  • lasts more than 120 hours
  • the provider and the measure are approved, and
  • you are engaged in activities that can be replaced by technology or are otherwise affected by structural change or you wish to learn a bottleneck occupation (does not apply to older employees (from age 45) or employees with a severe disability in small and medium-sized enterprises (up to 249 employees).

  • Required document/s
    • Curriculum vitae
    • Certificates

If you are unemployed or threatened by unemployment or want to obtain a vocational qualification, you can only initiate your further training support together with your placement specialist:

  • To do so, make an appointment at your employment agency that is responsible for your place of residence. Optionally, you can send an inquiry to your employment agency online.
  • In a personal meeting, they will clarify whether you need additional qualifications in order to find a job as quickly as possible.
  • Your placement specialist will then check whether you meet the requirements for funding.
  • Under certain conditions, the Medical Service or the Vocational Psychological Service may also be involved in determining suitability.
  • Education voucher:
    • Your placement specialist will usually issue the education voucher directly to you during the counseling session.
    • You choose a suitable course yourself and register.
  • Before the start of the measure, the training provider confirms your acceptance into the course on the training voucher and informs the Employment Agency. The Employment Agency then checks whether the course fits the education voucher and whether you meet the entry requirements. If this is the case, funding for the continuing education is possible and you can begin with the continuing education.
  • You should already start applying for suitable job offers during the further education course.
  • If you become ill during the course, you must inform both the Employment Agency and the educational institution.
  • You will continue to be supervised by your responsible placement specialist during the continuing education program and discuss the next steps of your job search with them, especially before the end of the continuing education program.

If you are in employment, discuss your need for further training with your employer. You can then contact the employment agency to clarify the next steps.

Fee: none

You can lodge an objection to this administrative act in writing or in writing with the Employment Agency named in the document header within one month of its notification. The objection may be submitted in electronic form to effectively replace the written form. Electronic form is ensured by transmitting an electronic document that is suitable for processing by the Employment Agency and has a qualified electronic signature by the person to be held responsible and is sent to the special public authority mailbox (beBPo) assigned to the Employment Agency named in the document header.

The education voucher must be submitted to the relevant employment agency before the start of the further education measure. After return of the education voucher and submission of the complete documents by the sponsor, the processing time is usually 2 weeks. (2 to 4 weeks)

Contradiction

  • Apply for a placement budget at the job center

    If you are looking for or starting a new job or apprenticeship, you can, for example, have your expenses for application documents or travel to a job interview reimbursed by your Jobcenter.

Status: 16.04.2023
Editorially responsible for prodecure description: Bundesministerium für Arbeit und Soziales
Source: Federal Portal