Which funding fits your situation?
Most people only know the education voucher. Depending on your situation, there are other, sometimes better suited routes. The overview shows who is responsible. Whether you receive funding is always decided by that office in your individual case.
| Your situation | Funding | Responsible |
|---|---|---|
| unemployed or at risk of unemployment | Education voucher | employment agency, also for job centre clients |
| looking for work, goal or application still unclear | AVGS coaching | employment agency or job centre |
| employed, training of more than 120 hours | Funding for employees (section 82 SGB III) | employment agency, together with the employer |
| employed, company in structural change | Qualifizierungsgeld | employment agency, the employer applies |
| no longer able to work in your profession for health reasons | Vocational rehabilitation | for example pension insurance or employment agency |
| temporary-career soldier | Bundeswehr career promotion service | BFD of the Bundeswehr |
| working, living or employed in a particular federal state | State programme | depends on the state |
| young skilled worker with excellent vocational results | Continuing education scholarship | chamber or SBB foundation |
Education voucher
The education voucher (Bildungsgutschein) is the employment agency's commitment to pay for an approved continuing education course (section 81 SGB III). It is mainly for people who are unemployed or at risk of unemployment. Since 01.01.2025 the employment agency also decides for job centre clients. More on our education voucher page.
AVGS coaching
The activation and placement voucher (AVGS, section 45 SGB III) pays for coaching that helps you back into work: clarifying your career goal, applications, preparing for further training. It is issued by the office that supports you, the employment agency or the job centre. More under AVGS coaching.
Funding for employees
People in work can be funded too (section 82 SGB III). The training must go beyond a short adaptation to your own workplace, last more than 120 hours, and the course and provider must be approved. Depending on company size, the employer contributes to the costs; in companies with fewer than 50 employees this contribution should not be required. This is also known as the Qualifizierungschancengesetz. Details in our article Training for employees.
Qualifizierungsgeld
Qualifizierungsgeld (section 82a SGB III) replaces part of an employee's pay during training: 60 percent of the net pay difference, 67 percent with at least one child. The employer pays the course fees. It requires a training need caused by structural change that affects at least 20 percent of employees, or 10 percent in companies with fewer than 250 employees. The employer applies, according to the Federal Employment Agency ideally three months before the start. Details in the glossary: Qualifizierungsgeld.
German pension insurance: vocational rehabilitation
If you can no longer work in your profession for health reasons, you may receive benefits for participation in working life, which include further training (section 49 SGB IX). The pension insurance is responsible if its insurance requirements are met, most often the 15-year qualifying period (section 11 SGB VI). Otherwise another rehabilitation body may be responsible, for example the employment agency. A transitional allowance (Übergangsgeld) may be paid during the measure. More in the glossary: participation in working life.
Bundeswehr career promotion service
Temporary-career soldiers can receive funding for school and vocational education through the career promotion service (Berufsförderungsdienst, BFD), during and after their service. Scope and period depend on the length of service. Funding is only granted on application, and according to the Bundeswehr, advice from the BFD is a mandatory requirement. More in the glossary: career promotion service.
Programmes of the federal states
Several federal states run their own programmes for people in work, often called Bildungsscheck or Weiterbildungsbonus. They usually cover part of the course fees. Conditions, amounts and duration vary widely and change often. The Federal Funding Database (Förderdatenbank des Bundes) offers a current overview. More in the glossary: state programmes.
Continuing education scholarship
The continuing education scholarship (Weiterbildungsstipendium) supports young skilled workers after excellent vocational training with up to 9,135 euros over a maximum of three years, with a 10 percent personal contribution per course. According to the SBB foundation, admission is possible up to the age of 24, in certain cases up to three years later. More in the glossary: continuing education scholarship.
How we help
We clarify with you which funding route fits your situation and which office is responsible, look for a suitable, approved course and prepare the meeting with you. You submit the application yourself; for Qualifizierungsgeld your employer does. Our glossary explains the terms you will come across.
Frequently asked questions
Which funding is right for me?
It mainly depends on whether you are unemployed, employed, limited by health or a temporary-career soldier. The table on this page gives a first overview. In a meeting we clarify with you which route fits and which office is responsible.
Can I combine several types of funding?
Usually not twice for the same course. Qualifizierungsgeld, for example, is excluded if funding under section 82 SGB III has already been applied for the same course (section 82a (5) SGB III). The responsible office clarifies which benefits can be combined.
Are your courses suitable for all funding routes?
Our courses are approved under AZAV. That is required for the education voucher and the AVGS; for Qualifizierungsgeld the provider must be approved. Pension insurance, Bundeswehr, state programmes and the scholarship have their own rules. Whether a specific course fits there, we check with you case by case.
Does your advice cost anything?
No. Our advice is free for you. We work with selected training providers and receive a fee from them if you start a course there.
Sources
Legal texts and official bodies this article relies on. Links last checked on .
- § 81 SGB III: Principles of funding vocational further training (German)Federal Ministry of Justice, gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 45 SGB III: Activation and integration measures (German)Federal Ministry of Justice, gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 82 SGB III: Funding for employed workers (German)Federal Ministry of Justice, gesetze-im-internet.de
- § 82a SGB III: Qualifizierungsgeld (German)Federal Ministry of Justice, gesetze-im-internet.de
- Qualifizierungsgeld (German)Federal Employment Agency
- Berufliche Rehabilitation (German)German pension insurance (Deutsche Rentenversicherung)
- Beratung und Förderung durch den Berufsförderungsdienst (German)Bundeswehr
- Weiterbildungsstipendium (German)Stiftung Begabtenförderung berufliche Bildung (SBB)
- Förderdatenbank des Bundes (German)Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy
Note: This information is for general guidance and is not legal advice. Whether you receive funding is decided in each individual case by the responsible office, for example the employment agency (Agentur für Arbeit), the job centre or the pension insurance. As of 08.11.2026.