Support Programs

Funding opportunities for professional development and individual skills development

In order to motivate people to undertake further vocational training and develop their individual skills, there are various funding programs that provide financial support.

These training grants can be awarded as subsidies, scholarships or loans and are provided by various bodies.

We also have an interest in supporting your further training with us and would like to show you the support options below:

Support Programs

Here you will find further information on the various funding programs.

Education voucher

“With the NRW education voucher, the state government supports participation in further vocational training. The education cheque finances up to half of the further education costs from European Union funds.”
People with lower incomes who would like to undertake individual further education are targeted.

The most important information in brief:

Advice on individual education vouchers and the issuing of individual education vouchers for employees ends on June 30, 2024.
Individual training vouchers issued up to that date can be submitted together with the funding application to the responsible approval authority by March 31, 2029 at the latest
Advice on the company training voucher and the issue of company training vouchers expired on December 31, 2023.
Company training vouchers issued up to that date can be submitted to your responsible granting authority for reimbursement together with the funding application by 31.03.2029 at the latest.

There are two access points:

individual access and
the operational access

Educational leave

In North Rhine-Westphalia, the entitlement to “educational leave” is regulated in the Employee Further Education Act NRW (AwbG). Accordingly, employees can apply for educational leave once a year in order to further their professional or political education. It is important that these training measures are carried out by a recognized training provider. Individual courses, such as seminars, must also be recognized accordingly. People who have been employed in a company for at least six months and if the company has more than ten employees can take part.

The most important information in brief:

The training must take place on at least 5 consecutive days (3 consecutive days in the case of exceptions, with at least 6 hours/day)
The training measure may not take place more than 500 km from the NRW state border
At least 6 months of employment in a company with at least 10 employees
Up to 5 days off work with continued payment of salary by the employer

Advancement BAföG

The Upgrading BAföG is an equivalent to the traditional Federal Training Assistance Act (BAföG) and is based on the Upgrading Training Assistance Act (AFBG). It is aimed at full-time and part-time individuals who are aiming for a challenging vocational training course. This includes vocational qualifications that are above the qualification level of skilled workers, journeymen and journeywomen. Examples of eligible qualifications are technician, programmer or business economist.

Interested persons must provide proof of prior qualification and may hold a Bachelor’s degree or comparable university degree at the most.

The most important information in brief:

Funding is available: Course and examination fees, living expenses, childcare
Funding is provided in the form of a loan or grant
Pre-qualification must be available
Full-time or part-time measures
Three training levels:
1. Certified professional specialist (at least 200 teaching hours)
2. Bachelor Professional (at least 400 teaching hours, full/part-time)
3. Master Professional (at least 400 teaching hours, full/part-time)

Education voucher (Federal Employment Agency)

The Federal Employment Agency promotes the teaching of skills that are in demand on the labor market and open up career prospects for participants.

The further training measures must be approved for this purpose and the educational institution requires approval for this type of funding.

The most important information in brief:

Support is provided to jobseekers or people at risk of unemployment as well as people who have received a training voucher (e.g. people returning to work)
Education vouchers are issued by the respective advisors
Potential funding is available for course costs, travel costs, accommodation and meals, childcare

Further training grant (Federal Employment Agency)

With the continuing education scholarship, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) supports committed young professionals who want to further develop their skills after completing their vocational training. Funding is provided for challenging, mostly in-service training courses. One example of this is interdisciplinary, professionally relevant skills such as quality management or software knowledge.

The most important information in brief:

Funding is available for young people who have successfully completed vocational training
The following are eligible for funding: measure costs, travel costs, accommodation costs, work equipment, examination fees, IT bonus

Future starters (Federal Employment Agency)

“Zukunftsstarter” is an initiative of the Federal Employment Agency that helps young people between the ages of 25 and 35 to catch up on their vocational qualifications.

The most important information in brief:

Funding is available for: young people between the ages of 25 and 35 who are low-skilled
Full-time and part-time qualifications

Fit for the future

With theFit for the Futurefunding program, the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia offers companies quick and unbureaucratic support to shape their transformation processes towards sustainability and competitiveness. This funding programme enables companies to receive advice in key areas such as the green economy, digitalization, work organization and personnel development.

The most important information in brief:

Funding is available at:
Companies based in the JTF areas Rheinisches Revier (city region of Aachen, city of Mönchengladbach, district of Düren, Rhein-Erft-Kreis, Rhein-Kreis Neuss, district of Heinsberg) and Northern Ruhr area (independent city of Bottrop, cities of Dorsten, Gladbeck, Marl in the district of Recklinghausen).
Funding content:
The consultation must cover at least one of the four subject areas:
- Green Economy
- Work organization
- Digitization
- Personnel development
Funding amount:
Up to 60% of the costs (standard unit costs) for a maximum of 15 consulting days are covered by the program.
Advice and application:
An appointment at an FFZ advice center is required for further information and to receive the advice cheque. After the consultation has been carried out, you can apply to the responsible district government for a pro rata reimbursement of costs.

Further funding programs

If you would like to find out more about further training opportunities or are looking for advice on funding measures, please take a look at the website of the North Rhine-Westphalia Further Training Advisory Service.

Advice center NRW

If you have not yet found what you are looking for here, you can also use the program search for continuing education funding from the Continuing Education Advisory Service in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Our Offers

If you have any questions about our training courses and funding opportunities, please contact us directly.