Do you live in Berlin and want to develop your career with further training? Then you will find all the information you need in this article on how to apply for your Berlin education voucher and have your further education financed at 100 %!
Entitlement: Who receives an education voucher in Berlin?
The education voucher is aimed at job-seekers and unemployed Berliners. With a Education voucher the employment agency or job center will finance 100 % of your further training to improve your chances on the job market. Even if you are currently employed, you can apply for an education voucher, for example if you are worried that you could lose your job without further training.
You will receive your education voucher in Berlin if:
- You are looking for a job, for example because you want to pursue a different profession,
- You are afraid of losing your job without qualifications or
- you are currently unemployed and receive unemployment benefit or citizen's allowance.
If you receive a citizen's allowance, the Jobcenter will even give you an additional incentive: if you successfully complete your training, you will receive a bonus of up to 2,500 euros on top.
The most important thing, however, is that you can make it clear to your advisor at the employment agency or job center why your desired further training is exactly the right one. By the way: With our free counseling service you will not only find out which StackFuel training program is right for you, but you will also have good arguments for your discussion with your advisor to help you secure your educational funding. But can all training measures actually be funded? This question is answered in the next section.
Retraining or further training: Which measures are funded in Berlin?
In Berlin, you can use the education voucher to finance your further training, but also retraining. However, since retraining takes longer and costs more money, it is less likely to be covered - in this case, you should definitely prepare well for your consultation!
The most important prerequisite is that you look for a suitable training program yourself beforehand, for example at KURSNET from the Federal Employment Agency. A regional database with measures only from Berlin and Brandenburg is the Continuing education database Berlin. On both portals, you will find training courses that you can have financed with your education voucher, but also online courses that you can take part in from the comfort of your own home or on the go - as with StackFuel. Important: The provider of your desired training course must be AZAV-certified, only in this case will the employment agency or job center cover the costs of your training.
For which professions can you get an education voucher in Berlin?
You have the best chance of having your education voucher approved in Berlin if you are doing further training or retraining in a job area that is in demand. The Berlin South Employment Agency has a Educational goal planning undertaken. Behind the abstract word is a document that breaks down exactly where the labor market has fewer applicants than are needed.
The employment agency in Berlin also defines what kind of further training they find particularly important: Innovation, flexibility in terms of location and time and high quality play a special role here. So be sure to make it clear to your advisor that your further training meets these criteria!
The sectors in demand are diverse: skilled workers in the construction industry are just as much in demand as commercial professions, medical jobs or security professions. IT specialists have also been in particularly high demand for several years. The top 3 IT professions in demand in Berlin are:
- Application/software developer:in
- IT-Administrator:in
- Database developer:in
There is therefore a particular demand for further training in the areas of UX designer and full-stack developer, but IT experts in the fields of data science and artificial intelligence are also in high demand. We at StackFuel have recognized this need and therefore offer digital training courses on popular topics:
The courses are also available for Career changer so that you can use your Berlin education voucher to shape your professional future flexibly and go from being a chef to a data analyst or Python developer, for example. Of course, you can also apply to your advisor for further training in other areas: However, the willingness to approve training is much higher for qualifications that are in demand on the job market.
Can I only use the Berlin education voucher for further training or retraining in my area?
With an education voucher from Berlin, you can not only take advantage of offers in your city. However, as the employment agency or job center will not only cover the actual costs of further training for 100%, but also "ancillary costs" such as travel and accommodation, most advisors are reluctant to help if you have to travel long distances to your training course.
What's more, you have to spend more time on the road: this can already be exhausting in Berlin, but becomes a real stress and time factor on longer journeys. The most convenient option is therefore training that is completely digital. But beware: the measures can vary greatly, especially in terms of how flexibly you can learn and how well you are supervised as a "student".
At StackFuel, we therefore rely on a mixture of flexibly divisible learning units, practical tasks and regular tutoring, where you can clarify any questions with an expert.
You can find out in the next section whether you can do any of Stackfuel's further training courses with an education voucher from Berlin.
What further training can I do at StackFuel with the education voucher?
The short answer is: any. You will find on our Overview page for jobseekers over a dozen further education courses that are eligible for 100% with an education voucher from Berlin.
If you are unsure which method is right for you, you can get free advice from us. And if you're not sure whether our learning methods are right for you, you can use our free machine learning Try out the course. You don't need a Berlin education voucher, just an e-mail address.
What steps are necessary to obtain an education voucher in Berlin?
You can apply for your education voucher in Berlin either at the Employment Agency or at the Jobcenter. The education voucher is ultimately a document that confirms that the costs for your desired further education course at 100% will be covered. Depending on the training course, the document can be worth several thousand euros!
So it's clear that the advisors at the employment agency and job center won't just give it out. So nothing works without a consultation - which makes it all the more important to prepare well for the interview. Our practical guide can help you with this Checklist for applying for your education voucher.
But first things first - how to secure your education voucher in Berlin:
- Arrange a consultation appointment with the employment agency or job center
- Clarify the requirements with your personal advisor
- Apply for the desired further training measure
- Important: Now you have to wait for approval - because without an education voucher, the costs cannot be covered!
- Carry out further training and advance your career 🙂
- You can then simply invoice additional expenses such as travel, accommodation or childcare costs.
![A checklist for applying for an education voucher. StackFuel's checklist provides useful tips for your interview with the employment agency or job center.](https://stackfuel.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Grafik-Blogartikel-16.png)
Your checklist is only one Click removed.
You can find out more about where you can apply for your education voucher in Berlin in the next section.
Who do I contact for the education voucher in Berlin?
If you are looking for work or are currently receiving unemployment benefit, the Employment Agency is certainly the right contact for you. You probably already have an advisor there. If not, you can simply contact your local branch of the employment agency. There are a total of 18 locations in the German capital: You can find one on Berlin.de Overview.
The Jobcenter has 8 locations in Berlin. This is where you go if you receive citizen's allowance. Your education voucher is therefore very close to you!
Other institutions can also issue you with an education voucher or support your further education - more on this in the next section.
Where else in Berlin can I get advice on education vouchers apart from the Employment Agency?
Many further education providers in Berlin also offer advice on education vouchers. These include GPB Berlin, Campus Berlin and the Berufsförderungswerk Berlin-Brandenburg.
What many people don't know: Pension insurance companies, professional associations or the accident insurance fund can also issue training vouchers to help people who are no longer able to work in the profession they once trained in or who do not have a qualification to reintegrate into the world of work. The Bundeswehr Vocational Training Service (BFD) can also issue training vouchers.
Of course, there are other funding measures that you can use to finance all or part of your further training. To find out which funding and which further education program is right for you, you can use our Digital consulting perceive.
Tips for applying for the Berlin education voucher
To ensure that you receive funding for your further training, you should prepare well for the consultation at the employment agency or job center. An interview can decide whether you receive an education voucher a few weeks later and can continue your training in Berlin - or whether you have to try again later.
The most important thing is to convince your advisor. That's why you should compile a few documents beforehand and give them some thought to increase your chances:
- Think about why you need the qualificationWhy can you no longer do your current job? Or: Why is your current knowledge no longer sufficient to survive in the job market?
- Also Health or family factors can play a role here, for example if you can no longer do the job you used to do for physical reasons.
- Find out about your career prospects and think concretely about where you want to develop professionally. The chances of receiving your education voucher in Berlin increase if you want to take up a qualification that is included in the educational target plan.
- Look for a specific further training offer: This may or may not be in Berlin. But beware: additional travel and accommodation costs can be a reason for rejection. As an alternative, digital offers create flexibility. Also check that the training provider is AZAV-certified.
The better you prepare for your consultation, the more likely it is that you will receive your education voucher in Berlin - but there is no guarantee. After the interview, it's all about waiting.
What happens when I receive the education voucher from Berlin?
A few weeks after the consultation, you will receive your education voucher by email or post. This document is important because it confirms that the job center or employment agency will cover the costs of your training. The education voucher contains the most important information:
- the educational goal,
- the measure number,
- the duration of the training measure and
- the regional scope of application
With this document, you now contact the educational institution that offers your desired further training. Here you will be advised and together we will agree when you can start the training. Please note: Your education voucher is only valid for three months! It is therefore essential that you start your further training within this period after receiving your education voucher.
A calculation example: You are looking for work and are interested in the further training as a Data Analyst at StackFuel. The training starts on October 9 of the same year. Your education voucher should therefore be issued by the employment agency on July 10 at the earliest.
After the training, you must then settle any additional expenses incurred directly with the employment agency or job center.
Who has to approve the Berlin education voucher?
Unfortunately, you cannot simply apply for your education voucher from Berlin yourself: Approval is first granted by your advisor at the employment agency, the job center or the insurance company or health insurance fund. Only when you have received the education voucher by post or email is the assumption of costs confirmed - so please do not rely on verbal promises!
With your written training voucher from Berlin, you can contact the training provider, who will then settle the costs for the training directly with the employment agency or job center. Only additional costs, as described in the next section, must be documented and submitted to your advisor.
What costs are covered by the Berlin education voucher for my further education?
In addition to the costs for the actual further training course, your education voucher confirms that necessary travel costs, accommodation costs and childcare costs for children who cannot be looked after during the course will also be covered.
Do I have to pay a personal contribution for my further education with the education voucher?
No, you do not have to make a personal contribution - apart from your willingness to do so. Your Berlin education voucher confirms that all costs will be covered by the employment agency or job center.
What other funding options are available in Berlin besides the education voucher?
According to the Berlin-Brandenburg further education database, you can just about 60 funding programs in Berlin to finance or promote your further education. The options are very diverse and are aimed at different target groups. For example, there are scholarships for school pupils, measures for young refugees or grants for small and medium-sized enterprises. Short-time workers can also take advantage of a further training premium to gain professional qualifications or reorient themselves.
For many Berliners, however, the education voucher is likely to be a suitable funding option: after all, the costs for 100% are covered here, including for digital further education.
For Berliners who are not unemployed but in employment, the Qualification Opportunity Act be the right funding for further training.
Brandenburg education voucher: Is the funding different from the Berlin education voucher?
If you live in the Berlin area, your place of residence and therefore your responsible authority is probably not in Berlin but in Brandenburg. But don't worry, the same formal requirements apply in Brandenburg as for the Berlin education voucher. Especially if you live in the countryside and commuting is very inconvenient for you, an online further education course with the education voucher could be a good fit for you.
However, there is one important difference to Berlin: local educational goal planning can differ significantly from that in Berlin. The best way to find out about this is to ask your contact person at the job center, employment agency or pension insurance.
We have linked two educational goal plans here to get you started:
Advice on our further training courses with education vouchers
As you can see, it is possible to receive an education voucher. Whether you are a jobseeker or unemployed is of secondary importance. The only important thing is that the training course matches your professional future. And if it is in an in-demand field such as IT, there is a good chance that you will receive your education voucher within a very short time.
Which IT training is worthwhile for you? We can find out together! Our experienced consultants will be happy to take the time to find out exactly what suits your needs. Simply arrange an appointment now free consultation appointment!