NRW education voucher: Funding for your further education 2026

Do you live in North Rhine-Westphalia and want to improve your qualifications or gain new ones? Good news, because the employment agencies support retraining and further training - even if you have a lower income or need individual access to further vocational training. How you can access the coveted education voucher NRW, what you need for it and which further training courses are funded, you can find out in this article.

What are the requirements for funding from the Employment Agency in NRW? 

The main objectives of the promotion of further vocational training by the Employment Agency are to reduce unemployment on the one hand and to reduce the shortage of skilled workers on the labor market on the other. There is a great need for skilled workers in North Rhine-Westphalia. The training voucher is intended to relieve employees and jobseekers - including those at risk of unemployment - of the financial burden of training. Some of this funding is also supported by the European Social Fund (ESF).

Every year, the list of particularly sought-after (and therefore often subsidized) qualifications is adjusted and recorded in the educational target plan of the respective city or district. You can also receive an education voucher from your local job center under certain conditions, and in some cases even from the pension insurance.

Our tip: Get the best out of your free checklist an overview of how you can best prepare for your consultation on the education voucher.

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In the next section, you can find out which further training or retraining courses will be given priority in the awarding of education vouchers in NRW in the current year. 

Which further training courses are funded with the education voucher in NRW? 

Further training, retraining, apprenticeships and courses that receive preferential support are set out in educational target plans. Each district has its own education target plan for the current year. Only the plan of the district in which you have registered your main place of residence is of interest to you, as this is where it is decided which type of further vocational training will be funded.

Participation in further vocational training is particularly frequently supported in the IT sector, but care, social services and administration are also regularly supported with an education voucher or (until 2024) an NRW education voucher. Training vouchers can only be redeemed by training providers that have a „Recognition and Approval Ordinance for Employment Promotion (AZAV)“, such as StackFuel.

Our tip: IT specialists are in demand in every industry, if you are not yet sure which qualification is best for you, you can find out more in our article on the subject of Top professions for lateral IT entry Further information.

Who is entitled to an NRW education voucher? 

In NRW, both employees and unemployed or job-seeking persons can be supported by the education voucher.

Funding can be approved if:

• The retraining or further training improves your employability.
• you are looking for a career change in order to be more successful on the job market.
• The qualification will help you to keep your job or find new employment.

In all these cases, you can receive an education voucher to support your further training.

What costs are covered by funding in NRW? 

The following training costs can be covered: 

• The training and examination fees 

• Costs for necessary learning materials and work clothes 

• The travel costs 

• Childcare costs for the periods of further training 

• Costs for accommodation and meals if the daily commute is unreasonable 

You can find out which of the costs will be covered and to what extent in an individual consultation. This consultation is important in order to clarify your personal need for further vocational training and to create an individual approach that suits your life situation.

Apply for an NRW education voucher 

You can submit your application to the employment agency, your job center or the pension insurance fund. A personal interview is necessary before applying. If you are employed, it is also worth checking whether your company has access to funding - for example via the company training voucher, which can also be used in NRW.

If you receive citizen's allowance, you can contact the relevant job center and request a consultation appointment. If you are looking to return to work after a long illness, you can also contact the pension insurance fund. We have compiled a list of where the employment agencies in some of the larger cities in North Rhine-Westphalia are located. Simply click on the relevant heading to find out more.  

Our tip: When awarding education vouchers, preference is given to training courses and qualifications that can be completed online or hybrid. These are generally cheaper, as the costs for commuting, overnight stays and childcare are lower or do not apply at all. This saving enables the job center or employment agency to use their fixed budgets to award more training vouchers overall and thus help more people to improve their professional qualifications.   

Information on the education voucher Cologne

The Cologne Employment Agency is located at Butzweilerhofallee 1 in the Ossendorf district. You can apply for your education voucher there, for example. You can reach the nearby stop "Sparkasse am Butzweiler Hof" by streetcar line 5 or by bus 139. If you are receiving a citizen's allowance, you will receive your consultation at one of the relevant job centers. The focal points in the Educational goal planning of the city of Cologne are in the areas of digitalization, machine management, electrical and energy technology, health and social services, education and ecological transformation. In the field of IT in particular, a wide range of further training courses are funded with the education voucher in Cologne. These include software testing, IT security and network technology. If you live in the region, retraining in Cologne is an attractive way to improve your career opportunities in the long term.

Information on the Düsseldorf education voucher

The Düsseldorf Employment Agency and the Jobcenter Nord are located at Grafenberger Allee 300, in district two. The Schülerstr./Arbeitsagentur stop is served by several bus and subway lines. The Jobcenter Mitte is located in the Friedrichstadt district and the Jobcenter Süd in Holthausen. In the description of the Educational goal planning Düsseldorf the city has set itself the goal of covering individual qualification needs and scores points with an extensive range of subsidized further training courses. Jobseekers in particular are given preference when it comes to the allocation of education vouchers in Düsseldorf.  

Information on the Krefeld education voucher

In Krefeld, the employment agency is located at Philadelphiastraße 2. The nearby Voltastraße stop is served by streetcar line 044. The job center is located at Willy-Brandt-Platz 1. Educational goal planning 2025 also applies to the district of Viersen. The education target plan addresses, in particular, people with low qualifications. The aim is to increase employment opportunities, reduce unemployment and strengthen the regional economy. In the field of IT, further training courses for IT specialists in system integration and IT system electronics technicians are funded with an education voucher. 

Information on the Duisburg education voucher

The employment agency in Duisburg is located at Wintgensstraße 29-33. There are several job center locations in the city, so if you are receiving citizen's allowance, you can get an individual consultation appointment near you. In the IT/media education segment, education vouchers are awarded in particular to people who are seeking retraining that leads to a recognized professional qualification. 

Information on the Oberhausen education voucher (also applies to Mülheim) 

The employment agency and job center in Oberhausen are located at Mülheimer Str. 36. The "Oberhausen Feuerwache" stop is very close by and is served by streetcar line 112 and several bus lines. The Oberhausen educational target plan is also valid for Mülheim. In Oberhausen, both degree-oriented further training and retraining with a funding period of up to 3 years are funded with the education voucher as well as modular further training. Rather rare: Funding for school-based training is also possible. 

Information on the Dortmund education voucher

In Dortmund, the employment agency is located at Steinstraße 39 directly at the ZOB. There are several Jobcenter branches in the city. Here, training and further education in various areas is supported with education vouchers. These include production and manufacturing, health and social affairs, law and administration. In the field of natural sciences and IT, both partial qualifications and full-time and part-time degree-oriented training courses are supported. The probability of receiving a training voucher in this area is particularly high for the following training courses: IT specialist, IT systems administrator, business administrator, other IT certifications or programming languages. 

Information on the Bielefeld / Gütersloh district education voucher

The Bielefeld employment agency is located at Werner-Bock-Straße 8 and the bus stop "Arbeitsamt" is served by bus lines 23 to 26. The two job centers in the city are located at Herforder Straße 67 and Willy-Brand-Platz 2, both near the main train station. The educational target plan of the city of Bielefeld also applies to the Gütersloh district. For applicants with a commercial background or those returning to work, mainly modular qualifications are funded with the education voucher. In this context, costs for basic IT courses and language courses, for example, can be covered. However, there are numerous other options for training, retraining and partial qualifications. 

Where can I find out more about funding in NRW? 

It makes sense to be well prepared for the interview with the authorities. The eligibility requirements and bureaucratic hurdles differ from office to office and are always a case-by-case decision. A coherent argument increases your chances of receiving an education voucher. Think carefully about the direction in which you would like to develop professionally. Analyze your career to date, your strengths and your wishes for the future. Before the interview, find out about the eligibility criteria in your district and take note of the educational objective plan.

Because the decision to approve an education voucher has to be made individually for each person, you can also score points with a creative but coherent argument. At StackFuel you can prepare in advance Get advice without obligation and thus already have good arguments for your further training. Simply make an appointment.  

Your NRW education voucher can only be redeemed with recognized education providers, and StackFuel is one of them - we have the necessary experience to guide you through the bureaucratic processes so that you can soon receive your coveted further education. 

Tip: Are you not unemployed but in employment? Then perhaps the Qualification Opportunity Act the right funding for your further training.

Education voucher Rhineland-Palatinate: Are there differences to the education voucher from NRW?

Whether you live in Rhineland-Palatinate or NRW, the formal requirements for the education voucher are the same throughout Germany. Nevertheless, there can be major regional differences in the processing of applications because the approval of an education voucher is a discretionary decision made by your contact person at the local authority. In addition to your personal requirements, the situation of the local companies and how the city or region assesses its current personnel requirements play a major role here. The result of this assessment is very often recorded in the above-mentioned training target plans. Ideally, you should base your argumentation for the training voucher on this, among other things.

Here we have linked some examples of educational objectives for Rhineland-Palatinate:

• Educational goal planning Montabaur
• Educational goal planning Ludwigshafen
• Educational goal planning Neuwied
• Educational goal planning Bad Kreuznach
• Educational target planning Trier
• Educational goal planning Koblenz

What steps are necessary to obtain the education voucher in NRW? 

You apply for your education voucher at the relevant employment agency or job center. This requires a personal interview, preferably directly with your caseworker. During this interview, it will be clarified whether you meet the requirements to receive this funding. The processing time varies and usually takes a few weeks.  

The training voucher is a written confirmation that the costs of the training will be covered. It must be redeemed within three months of being issued, otherwise it will expire. This means that the training must start within this period. The training provider must have the "Recognition and Approval Ordinance for Employment Promotion (AZAV)". StackFuel, for example, has the necessary certification.  

Our tip: Before your consultation with the authorities, find out about the educational institution of your choice and, if applicable, about the further training you want. 

If you have not already done so, seek advice from the training provider of your choice as to which further training or retraining course is right for you. The education provider will then take care of the rest of the bureaucratic process. Now your training can begin.