All posts by Sarah Wild

formal vocational training_DE, information

Bildungsprämie

Support offer

Bildungsprämie is a subsidy for a further training measure that takes place alongside the occupation. Individual continuing education, which is also characterised by a high degree of self-interest, forms the basis for the subsidy.
It supports private continuing education in addition to the profession.
The funding is provided by a combination of state, ESF and European Union.

Who can access this offer?

The prerequisites for the training premium are:

  • are employed for at least 15 hours per week,
  • have a maximum taxable income of 20,000 euros (40,000 euros as jointly assessed persons).

Further information/useful links

https://www.bildungspraemie.info/

 

 

formal vocational training_DE, information

Further training courses by the Federal Employment Agency

Support offer

The services offered by the Federal Employment Agency are divided into four basic areas for further training with the aim of creating an individual career path.
These areas include:

  • Advisory services and support for personal career development and advancement
  • The promotion of a vocational qualification in order to extend knowledge and skills or to obtain a vocational qualification.
  • The professional change – a retraining, cross or side entry for a new occupational field
  • The return to working life after a break.

Who can access this offer?

Support is given to those who can prove that further training actively contributes to improving the chances of placement.

Further information/useful links

https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/karriere-und-weiterbildung
https://kursnet-finden.arbeitsagentur.de/kurs/

 

become an entrepreneur_DE, information

Promotion of specific groups of persons

Support offer

Group-related funding (e.g. students).
This includes, above all, the establishment of new businesses by young entrepreneurs who are given targeted support in various forms (consulting, preparation of a business plan, review of loans and financing as well as subsidies and grants).

Such funds are also aimed at specific groups, such as companies that stand out for their training opportunities. (Another group is also the start-ups represented by women).

The “Student” group of people is also addressed individually. Similar to the promotion of young entrepreneurs, support is provided in the form of both financial resources and individual advice (from the initial idea to the choice of location and financing options, for example).

Who can access this offer?

Funding offer for specific groups

Further information/useful links

General information:
https://www.deutschland-startet.de/top-10-foerdermoeglichkeiten/
https://www.fuer-gruender.de/kapital/foerdermittel/

Funding offer geared to specific groups
https://www.mikromezzaninfonds-deutschland.de/

Addressed to students
http://www.thinc.de/
https://www.tum.de/wirtschaft/entrepreneurship/
https://www.informatik.uni-augsburg.de/service/entrepreneurship/
https://www.exist.de/

Small business start-ups
http://www.foerderdatenbank.de/Foerder-DB/Navigation/Foerderrecherche/suche.html?get=views;document&doc=10917

become an entrepreneur_DE, information

Priority related funding (e.g. High-Tech)

Support offer

Large industrial companies have created a joint fund that supports start-ups through targeted investments. The invested equity capital is to be understood as a private investor who, however, consciously takes a higher risk, since the idea of promotion plays a central role.

On the other hand, there is a strong network behind it, which acts in an advisory capacity and serves as a contact interface. In addition Coaching possibilities are offered around the founders a broad spectrum of the support to offer.

“GO-Bio” offers a similar format with a focus on life sciences. This fund is aimed specifically at start-ups from the laboratory to business.

Start-ups and development programs in rural areas (ELR) also belong to the area of priority-specific funding.

Who can access this offer?

Start-up companies with a specific focus

Further information/useful links

General information:
https://www.deutschland-startet.de/top-10-foerdermoeglichkeiten/
https://www.fuer-gruender.de/kapital/foerdermittel/

Priority related funding
https://high-tech-gruenderfonds.de/de/
https://go-bio.de/
https://www.l-bank.de/lbank/inhalt/nav/foerderungen-und-finanzierungen/alle-foerderangebote/wf-wirtschaftsfoerderung/entwicklungsprogramm-laendlicher-raum-elr.xml?ceid=100191
https://www.bmbf.de/de/kmu-innovativ-561.html

become an entrepreneur_DE, information

Business Angels

Support offer

finan

The Business Angels are specialized in the beginning of the financing chain.

The association Business Angels network Germany e.V. is behind this  sees itself as a spokesman for politics and the public and stands up for the interests of young innovative companies.

Who can access this offer?

Everyone

Further information/useful links

General information:
https://www.deutschland-startet.de/top-10-foerdermoeglichkeiten/
https://www.fuer-gruender.de/kapital/foerdermittel/

Private individuals (Business Angels)
https://www.business-angels.de/
https://www.deutschland-startet.de/business-angels-unterstuetzen/
https://www.businessplan.org/business-angel/
https://www.fuer-gruender.de/kapital/eigenkapital/business-angels/european-angels-fund/

 

https://www.deutschland-startet.de/business-angels-unterstuetzen/

https://www.businessplan.org/business-angel/

https://www.fuer-gruender.de/kapital/eigenkapital/business-angels/european-angels-fund/

become an entrepreneur_DE, information

Development Banks

Support offer

Development banks in Germany are for example KfW or federal states specific development banks (example Lower Saxony: NBank).

In principle, start-up and self-employment are supported by development banks. However, these are largely determined by the place of establishment. KfW Förderbank acts independently of the federal state, but focuses primarily on start-ups in the creative industries.

There are also promotional banks specific to each federal state which support start-ups and companies with their own employees and which offer similar services.

KfW Bank’s promotional offer for the foundation of a company is divided into three different models, which differ, among other things, in their respective financial volumes.

The NBank is an example of a local business start-up in the federal state of Lower Saxony. Similar to KfW Bank, the main focus is on financial volume and financial advisory services for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Who can access this offer?

Everyone, whereby the range of support is geared to the needs of the individual.

Further information/useful links

General information:
https://www.deutschland-startet.de/top-10-foerdermoeglichkeiten/
https://www.fuer-gruender.de/kapital/foerdermittel/

Development banks
https://www.kfw.de/inlandsfoerderung/Privatpersonen/Gr%C3%BCnden-Erweitern/
https://www.nbank.de/Privatpersonen/Existenzgr%C3%BCndung/Niedersachsen-Gr%C3%BCnderkredit/index.jsp

become an entrepreneur_DE, information

State subsidies

Support offer

State support for setting up a company is supported by various institutions. These are the Federal Employment Agency (BA) and the European Social Fund (ESF).
The financial support provided by the Federal Employment Agency concerns two different levels:

  • The start-up subsidy is aimed at persons registered as unemployed who receive unemployment benefit. This subsidy is subject to a number of conditions (such as the submission of documents relating to the business plan, the submission of comments by an expert on the project or a certificate of self-employment from the trade office, but also that at least 150 days of unemployment benefit remain after the date of foundation).
  • Support through the so-called entry allowance is aimed at persons who receive basic insurance and serves as an integration of self-employed persons (but can also be applied for when taking up employment that is subject to social insurance contributions). This form of support is also linked to – as mentioned earlier – conditions.

Support from the European Social Fund is aimed, among other things, at supporting self-employment, entrepreneurship and business start-ups, including innovative micro-enterprises and innovative small and medium-sized enterprises. This support is also linked to various conditions (such as publicity requirements).

In addition, the support addresses various areas related to business start-ups, such as advice on business management, attracting and securing skilled workers, environmental protection, the introduction of family-friendly measures in the company, and the organisation of work for the elderly and disabled.

Who can access this offer?

Directly addressed to the unemployed or jobseekers

Further information/useful links

https://www.unternehmenswelt.de/mikromezzaninfonds.html

information, labour market access_DE

State educational institutions (Bildungswerk)

Support offer

Bildungswerke are organisations within the federal states which have specialised in helping as service providers with the job search.

The range of support offers a broad spectrum of different measures to support the individual.
In addition to support for applications (application management), there are retraining and support measures as well as additional qualification offers, help with job placement, support offers for people with disabilities and support for (re)integration.
In addition, the respective offers are divided into different groups (see target group) and offer as specific support measures and offers as possible.

Who can access this offer?

Pupils, apprentices, trainees, teachers, job seekers, people with disabilities, and immigrants.

Further information/useful links

As examples of support specific to the federal states:

BWNW (Hessen): https://www.bwnw.de/
BNW (Niedersachsen): https://www.bnw.de/

Overview of all federal states:
https://www.deutschland-startet.de/foerdermittel/

information, labour market access_DE

Federal Employment Agency

Quote

Support offer

The Bundesagentur für Arbeit “BA” (federal employment agency) supports jobseekers with the following options:

  • Supervision by a personal contact person for better perception of various job offers as well as possible support for further training or retraining
  • Access to the online platform “Job Exchange”, which supports the job search through an individualised search based on qualifications and preferences

The spectrum of support for unemployed persons complements the previous points:

  • Financial support (e.g. unemployment benefit I or II, travel allowance, etc.)
  • Business start-up subsidy
  • Regular appointments with the personal consultant
  • Formal training (for the application)

Who can access this offer?

In Germany, a basic distinction is made between jobseekers and unemployed persons. Both forms are supported by the Federal Employment Agency in their search for a job. However, the measures, programmes and subsidies are differentiated in their forms (see: general description).
The designation or registration as a jobseeker results from the fact that the person in question is still in an employment relationship but ends within the next three months and is therefore subsequently unemployed.
It follows from this that the registration as unemployed means that you are no longer tied to any employment relationship.

Further information/useful links
https://jobboerse.arbeitsagentur.de/
https://www.arbeitsagentur.de/
https://de-de.facebook.com/dasbringtmichweiter/

competence validation_UK, information

Work-based observational assessment

The UK is also involved in an initiative to validate competencies through work-based observational assessment.

This is a report on a research project conducted by the City and Guilds of London Institute between March and December 2012. The project investigated the context, features, and underlying assumptions of work-based observational assessment; an assessment method that is widely used in competence-based vocational qualifications.

Institution providing the offer
City and Guilds

Who can access this support offer
Anyone in employment who seeks to validate their competencies through a work-based framework

Further information/useful links
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/work-based-observational-assessment-a-validation-framework