Retraining with an education voucher: process, length, costs

If you want to move into a completely different occupation or never completed a vocational qualification, you will soon come across the word Umschulung, retraining. It does not mean a short course, but a full vocational qualification that you complete as an adult in a shorter time. The employment agency can fund retraining with an education voucher (Bildungsgutschein). In this guide we explain how it works, who is eligible and how to prepare.

What retraining is

Retraining is vocational continuing education that ends with a qualification in a generally recognised training occupation, for example office management clerk, IT specialist or mechatronics technician. At the end you take the same exam before the responsible chamber as in a regular apprenticeship. The difference is the route: retraining is designed for adults, is more compact and is usually run by a provider approved under AZAV, often with practical phases in a company.

The law hardly uses the word retraining. It speaks of the "subsequent acquisition of a vocational qualification" (section 81 (2) SGB III) or a measure that "provides a vocational qualification" (section 180 (2) SGB III). The employment agency explicitly names retraining on its website as a form of training that can be funded with an education voucher.

Retraining or continuing education: the difference

Many funded courses are not retraining but so-called adaptation or extension qualifications. They build on what you already know and add specific skills that job ads ask for. Retraining, by contrast, takes you into a new occupation.

Which route is right depends on your situation. If you already have a suitable occupation and only need to catch up on one topic, a shorter course often gets you back into work faster. If you have no qualification or can no longer work in your occupation, retraining can be the more lasting route.

How long retraining takes

There is a clear legal rule here. Under section 180 (4) SGB III, the duration of a full-time measure leading to a qualification in a recognised training occupation is considered appropriate if it is at least one third shorter than the regular apprenticeship. For a three-year occupation that usually means around two years, for three and a half years a little more.

The law names two exceptions. Retraining may take longer if it is aimed at people who, because of their aptitude or personal circumstances, can only be expected to succeed without shortening. And it may take longer if federal or state rules do not allow it to be shortened. This mainly affects some occupations whose training is fixed by law.

Who can get retraining funded

The basis is section 81 SGB III. For all funded training: the training must be necessary to end unemployment or avert threatened unemployment, the employment agency must have advised you beforehand, and the measure and provider must be approved.

For the subsequent acquisition of a vocational qualification, section 81 (2) SGB III sets additional conditions. You can be funded if you

• have no vocational qualification with a training period of at least two years, or have worked for more than four years in semi-skilled or unskilled jobs and are therefore unlikely to work in your trained occupation again,
• are suitable for the intended occupation,
• are likely to complete the measure successfully and
• improve your job prospects with the new occupation.

Under the law, people without a vocational qualification who have worked for less than three years are only funded if a regular apprenticeship is not possible or not reasonable for personal reasons, or if the retraining targets an occupation with a skills shortage. Periods of unemployment, raising children and caring for relatives with at least care level 2 count as periods of employment.

According to the employment agency, there is a legal entitlement to funding for a subsequent vocational qualification under certain conditions. Whether you meet them is checked case by case. Since 01.01.2025 the employment agency also decides on funding for job centre clients. Employees can be funded too, but only in agreement with their employer. More in the guide Training for employees.

Which costs are covered

With the education voucher, the agency confirms that it will cover the training costs. Section 83 SGB III defines them:

• course fees, according to the employment agency including required learning materials, work clothing and exam fees,
• travel costs,
• accommodation and meals away from home if commuting every day is not reasonable,
• childcare costs.

Your adviser will tell you which items are covered in your case. If you receive unemployment benefit, it is usually paid during the funded training.

Further training allowance and bonuses in brief

For training that leads to a qualification in a training occupation with a training period of at least two years, section 87a SGB III provides extra benefits. At the time of our check, these are a bonus of 1,000 euros after passing the intermediate exam or the first part of a stretched final exam, and 1,500 euros after passing the final exam. Unemployed participants also receive a monthly further training allowance of 150 euros. Whether your retraining meets these criteria is clarified in the counselling meeting. The exact rules are in the sources below.

How to proceed in practice

1. Clarify your goal: Which occupation should it be, and are there jobs for it in your region? Current job ads help you justify the goal.
2. Request an appointment: Contact your employment agency or job centre and ask for a counselling meeting on vocational training.
3. Prepare the meeting: CV, certificates, proof of previous work and a short explanation of why the new occupation improves your chances. How to handle the meeting is explained in How to apply for an education voucher.
4. Show your suitability: Expect the agency to check whether you are suited to the occupation. An internship or prior knowledge can strengthen your case.
5. Choose provider and measure: The retraining must be approved under AZAV. What that means is explained in AZAV approval explained.
6. Hand in the voucher: The provider submits the voucher to the agency before the measure starts. The voucher is usually time-limited, regionally restricted and tied to one training goal.

What kursberatung.de can do for you

To be honest: our course finder currently lists funded continuing education courses and AVGS coaching, but no full retraining programmes. If you are aiming for retraining, you will not find the measure itself there.

We are still happy to advise you on the way there. It is often worth clarifying first whether retraining or a shorter course suits your situation better. If your goal is still open, AVGS coaching can help you find it. And sometimes a shorter qualification from our course finder is a sensible first step. The basics of funding are on our page about the education voucher, and you can request a meeting on the appointment page.

Please note: this guide is not legal advice. Only the employment agency or job centre decides whether and how you are funded. Nobody can promise you a job after retraining.