The education voucher as an opportunity for subsidized further education
The labor market is subject to constant change. Digitization is unstoppable. The economy and the world are changing and the unforeseen occur. Sudden change not only affects companies, but also individual employees. Some are lagging behind the changes, jobs are suddenly at risk or unemployment is proving to be the new vice. In order to improve professional opportunities and one’s own importance for the employer, targeted further training can be used. This not only ensures improved suitability for the respective profession, but also strengthens the self-confidence and competence of the employee. If you do it right, you can even benefit from support from the education voucher.
The chance for a new beginning – the education voucher
With the help of the education voucher, further training and retraining are specifically promoted. This guarantees that the accruing costs will be taken over and is approved by the employment agency or the job center.
The support provided by the education voucher is characterized by the assumption of costs in the following areas:
- ride costs
- Accommodation costs if the further training takes place abroad
- Course or seminar costs
- External subsistence costs
- childcare costs
Which further training courses are supported by the education voucher
The education voucher can be used in a variety of ways and promote further training in a wide variety of areas. You can take advantage of funding for technical professions in the IT and media industry as well as in health, social and nursing professions. As an interested party, it is important to ensure that the further training serves to advance one’s career and that the chances in the respective area of activity increase.
Who can benefit from the education voucher?
The employment agency and the job center offer the education voucher mainly for certain groups on the labor market.
The following are primarily funded:
- employees on short-time work
- Employees with a fixed-term contract that is about to expire
- Recipients of unemployment benefit I
- Recipients of benefits under SGB II (also known as Harzt IV)
- Unemployed with 3 years of professional experience or with completed vocational training
- employees who are threatened with dismissal
- job seekers
In principle, an education voucher is also possible for lateral entry. If you want to use an education voucher for this, you should be able to plausibly explain how the desired further training will help you in your field of activity and for lateral entry, what professional experience you already have and can bring with you and why the new field of work suits you.
The way to the education voucher
In order to receive the education voucher, an individual interview with the employment agency or the job center is necessary. To do this, go to the offices in your region and get advice on site. It is important to be well prepared for the interview, to present yourself and to explain clearly to what extent you will benefit from the respective further training and why the training voucher makes sense.
If all the requirements for funding are met, the education voucher will be issued. This guarantees that the employment agency will cover the costs of further training and you will be entitled to participate in the desired further training.
How do you convince the employment agency that the education voucher is necessary?
The delivery of the education voucher is an optional service. The application can therefore also be rejected. It is therefore important to have good arguments and appearance during the consultation. But which arguments are important? Anyone who has no concrete idea of why the voucher is being applied for or which further training it should be can count on the chance of success being close to zero.
These aspects help to ensure a successful consultation:
- Good preparation and punctual appearance
- Neat attire for an interview
- Presenting current application documents to show efforts
- Information about the desired training
- Information on the relevance to the labor market and opportunities through the desired further training
- Proactive approach to applying for an education voucher
- Objective and patient demeanor
In order to give the argumentation even more depth and to deliver valid points, the following questions should also be clarified by the applicant in the preparation and ultimately in the interview:
- What professional goal do you aspire to?
- How does the further training fit with the career goal and to what extent does one’s own professional experience play a part?
- How can continuing education increase job opportunities?
Since further training is linked to a further training provider, this provider can be used to collect further data and facts that can contribute to a positive outcome of the application for an education voucher. Find out from the training provider how many participants have already found employment through this training, whether the job search is actively supported, what prospects will open up for you after completing the training, which participant requirements have already been met and whether the training is online or online is carried out in attendance.
Successfully received the education voucher – what now?
If the employment agency or the job center is convinced of the need for further training and if all other requirements are met, the training voucher will be issued. Now you have to find an educational institution for the desired further education. The training provider is not mandatory, but the course should be certified and the provider should be able to show a provider and measure approval that is based on the valid legal provisions of SGB III.
Once the training provider has been determined, they will confirm participation on the training voucher and present it to the issuing employment agency before the start of the further training.
Funded further education, funded future
The education voucher is a good opportunity to further your education and development, even in difficult times like these. Jobseekers and the unemployed in particular, as well as other groups of people in a similar situation, can benefit from this support and do not have to bear the costs themselves or not at all. The possibility of further training ensures competent staff and self-confident employees.
Important for success when applying for the voucher are the fulfillment of the requirements and a tangible argument, based on data and facts, how the additional education will help you in your professional life and how what you have learned can be integrated. A good and professional appearance also contributes to success – now and in the future.