General Support for Continuing Education Through the Education Voucher:

With an education voucher, the Job Center can cover all or part of the costs of your vocational continuing education. Before you receive an education voucher, the responsible Job Center will work with you to determine whether continuing education is necessary for you.

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

The continuing education program itself must also be approved and align with the education voucher. Among other things, the education voucher specifies:

• the educational goal,
• the duration required to achieve the educational goal,
• the content of the qualification,
• the regional scope, and
• the validity period during which you must redeem the education voucher and begin your participation.

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

The continuing education costs covered by the Job Center generally include:

• course fees and costs for the aptitude assessment,
• travel expenses,
• costs for lodging and meals away from home,
• Childcare costs.

ContinuingEducation Bonuses:

If you begin continuing education that leads to a vocational qualification in a recognized trade, you will receive 1,000 EUR for passing an intermediate exam regulated by law or regulation and 1,500 EUR for passing the final exam.

Continuing Education Allowance:

If you participate in a continuing education program leading to a qualification, you will receive a continuing education allowance of 150 EUR per month starting July 1, 2023.

Citizen’s Income Bonus:

If you participate in vocational continuing education (lasting at least 8 weeks) for which you are not eligible for the continuing education allowance, you will receive a citizen’s income bonus of 75 EUR per month starting July 1, 2023.

Retroactive Acquisition of a Secondary School Diploma:

Under certain conditions, support is also provided for the retroactive attainment of a secondary school diploma or an equivalent qualification.

Support for Employees Without a Vocational Qualification or With an Unmarketable Vocational Qualification (Low-Skilled Workers):

If you do not yet have a vocational qualification or have not worked in your trained profession for more than 4 years and can no longer practice your previously learned profession due to professional alienation, you will receive financial support to cover the costs of continuing education if you participate in training programs to obtain a vocational qualification retroactively.

The following are included in this 4-year period:

• Periods of employment in unskilled or semi-skilled work
• Periods of unemployment
• Periods spent caring for family members
• Periods spent raising children

If you are still in need of assistance under SGB II during your continuing education, you will continue to receive your basic income allowance throughout your continuing education.

Acquisition of basic skills:

Basic skills in reading, writing, mathematics, or information and communication technologies may be funded by your Job Center under certain conditions, provided that these basic skills improve your employability in the labor market or you intend to pursue a vocational qualification afterward.

Support for Employed Workers:

The Employment Agency is responsible for this type of support.

However, the relevant Jobcenter can advise you regarding continuing education for employees, particularly if they work in occupations that could be replaced by technology or are otherwise affected by structural change, or if they are seeking continuing education in a high-demand occupation—that is, an occupation facing a shortage of skilled workers.

Your employer is generally required to contribute to the course costs. They may also receive wage subsidies while you are undergoing continuing education. The amount of this subsidy 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).
• Training cost subsidies:
  • 100 percent for microenterprises with up to 9 employees,
  • up to 50 percent in companies with up to 249 employees,
  • up to 25 percent for companies with 250 or more employees,
  • up to 15 percent for large companies with 2,500 or more employees,
  • up to 100 percent for small and medium-sized enterprises (up to 249 employees) for older employees (age 45 and older) or employees with a severe disability.
• In addition, grants for training costs and wages may be increased by up to 15 percent if a collective bargaining agreement or a company agreement on vocational training is in place, or if there are special continuing education needs.
• Full coverage of course costs and a wage subsidy of up to 100 percent for low-skilled workers participating in continuing education programs aimed at obtaining a vocational qualification.

With an education voucher, the Job Center can cover all or part of the costs of your vocational continuing education. Before you receive an education voucher, the responsible Job Center will work with you to determine whether continuing education is necessary for you.

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

The continuing education program itself must also be approved and align with the education voucher. Among other things, the education voucher specifies:

• the educational goal,
• the duration required to achieve the educational goal,
• the content of the qualification,
• the regional scope, and
• the validity period during which you must redeem the education voucher and begin your participation.

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

The continuing education costs covered by the Job Center generally include:

• course fees and costs for the aptitude assessment,
• travel expenses,
• costs for lodging and meals away from home,
• Childcare costs.

Continuing education bonuses:

If you begin continuing education before December 31, 2023, through which you will earn a vocational degree in a recognized apprenticeship program, you will receive 1,000 EUR for passing an interim exam regulated by law or regulation and 1,500 EUR for passing the final exam.

Retroactive Acquisition of a Secondary School Diploma:

Under certain conditions, financial support is also available for obtaining a secondary school diploma or an equivalent qualification later in life.

Funding for employees without a vocational qualification or with a vocational qualification that is not applicable (low-skilled workers):

If you do not yet have a vocational qualification or have not worked in your trained profession for more than 4 years and can no longer practice your previously learned profession due to occupational alienation, you will receive financial support to cover the costs of continuing education if you participate in programs designed to help you obtain a vocational qualification later in life.

The following are included in this 4-year period:

• Periods of employment in unskilled or semi-skilled positions
• Periods of unemployment
• Periods spent caring for family members
• Periods spent raising children

If you are still in need of assistance under SGB II during your continuing education, you will continue to receive your basic income during this time.

Acquisition of Basic Skills:

If you are pursuing continuing education to earn a vocational qualification but still lack basic skills in reading, writing, mathematics, or information and communication technologies, the Job Center may, under certain conditions, also provide funding for continuing education in these areas.

Funding for Employed Workers:

The Employment Agency is responsible for this type of funding.

However, the relevant Jobcenter can advise you regarding continuing education for employees, particularly if they work in occupations that could be replaced by technology, are otherwise affected by structural change, or are seeking continuing education in a high-demand occupation—that is, an occupation where there is a shortage of skilled workers.

Your employer is generally required to contribute to the course costs. They may also receive wage subsidies while you are undergoing continuing education. The amount of this contribution 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).
• Training cost subsidies:
  • 100 percent for microenterprises with up to 9 employees,
  • up to 50 percent in companies with up to 249 employees,
  • up to 25 percent for companies with 250 or more employees,
  • up to 15 percent for large companies with 2,500 or more employees,
  • up to 100 percent for small and medium-sized enterprises (up to 249 employees) for older employees (age 45 and older) or employees with a severe disability.
• In addition, grants for training costs and wage subsidies may be increased by up to 15 percent if there is a collective bargaining agreement or a company agreement on vocational training, or if there are special continuing education needs.
• Full coverage of training costs and a wage subsidy of up to 100 percent for low-skilled workers participating in continuing education programs aimed at obtaining a vocational qualification