Training time: Employees should be given the legal opportunity for further training

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Further training in professional life - in the future this should be much easier to do (symbol image)

Photo: drazen_zigic / Getty Images/iStockphoto

So far, very few employees in Germany have used their right to further training.

Only about two percent of employees go on educational leave.

In Bavaria and Saxony, employees have no right to it.

Federal Minister of Labor Hubertus Heil (SPD) would like to make further education and training more attractive: In the future, there should be paid training time during the professional career, based on the Austrian model.

A corresponding law, which also includes other measures, should be passed in the federal cabinet in the next few weeks and give employees additional opportunities in view of the shortage of skilled workers in Germany, said Heil.

Expand areaEducational leave

Anyone who has been

in a company in Germany for

is entitled to educational leave.

The exceptions: In Baden-Württemberg you have to be employed at the company for at least twelve months,

are also

in many federal states ,

unlike students or pensioners.

Applying for it is quite uncomplicated: the employer donates

the employee

for a seminar recognized as educational leave.

Some of these are

in some federal states there is also the possibility of an

Employers are not allowed to

and they need good reasons for this too;

For example, when too many employees are planning vacations at the same time or an important project has a deadline.

As a rule, educational leave must be

One

Incidentally, the employer does not have an obligation to provide

Example Austria

In Austria, employees can take a career break for a maximum of one year for training or further education - or part-time training for up to two years.

Anyone who takes such an "educational leave" can receive a further education allowance.

Heil announced that employees in Germany should also be able to do one year of professional training if they and the employer had previously agreed on this.

"It can also be organized as part-time training in two years," Heil continues.

“Maintenance is ensured through funds from the Federal Employment Agency, at the level of unemployment benefit, i.e. 60 percent for single people, 67 percent with children.”

The Federal Employment Agency should be able to spend around 771 euros a year on this until 2026.

190 million euros are to come from the federal budget.

Heil assumes that the state will also collect more contributions and taxes through more qualified employees.

more on the subject

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• Juso demand in traffic light negotiations: »Companies benefit from skilled workers – so they can also pay for them« An interview by Florian Gontek and Sophia Schirmer

More chances of an apprenticeship

"Many companies are desperately looking for workers and skilled workers," said Heil.

"Whether in trade, in care, in construction - that's a big issue in every industry." A shortage of skilled workers must not become a brake on growth.

Beginning in 2025, baby boomers began to retire.

At the same time, around 45,000 students left school every year without a qualification.

According to Heil, the Further Education Act will also include a »training guarantee«.

Every young person should have the opportunity to get an education.

“To do this, we promote mobility and career orientation, for example.” Because there are big regional differences.

»In regions with full employment, companies sometimes cannot find any trainees.

In structurally weak regions, young people looking for an apprenticeship leave their fingers sore.«

Therefore, there should be more support for mobility.

“If someone, for example, cannot find a training position in the northern Ruhr area, but there is the opportunity to do an internship for career orientation in Cologne, then we will support this by covering accommodation and mobility costs,” announced Heil.

In the case of trainees, costs for family trips home would be covered.

"Germany not only needs masters, but also masters," said Heil.

Many young people don't even know "what great jobs there are, especially in vocational training".

That's why he would like "that we have mandatory careers orientation at all schools in Germany from the fifth grade."

In the future, all domestic potential would have to be exploited.

"We have to pull out all the stops here," said Heil.

This also includes getting even more women and people with disabilities and older people more involved in working life.

Immigration Act in March

"Germany needs additional qualified immigration," the minister continued.

He expects “that we will pass a draft law for a modern immigration law in the federal cabinet at the beginning of March”.

The coalition had already presented key points for this in November.

Unlike today, more non-EU citizens should be allowed to enter the country without a recognized qualification.

"The possibilities for qualified immigration will be reduced in bureaucracy," affirmed Heil.

Work visas should be issued more quickly.

»In addition, people who have completed their training in their home country have the opportunity to work in Germany.«

With a "chance card" people could go to Germany according to a points system.

"We propose the criteria of qualification, work experience, age, language skills or even a connection to Germany," says the minister.

»If you meet the relevant points from the catalog of criteria, the German job market is open to you.«

In addition to the law, Heil also announced a "recruitment strategy by the state and industry."

Immigration of skilled workers should not just be accepted.

“We have to want them, organize them and advertise them in other countries in a targeted manner.” He expects the CDU and CSU to commit to qualified immigration.

flg/dpa