Retraining & upskilling
Live search across the full dataset of the Federal Employment Agency, offers nationwide.
Live search: all continuing-education programmes from the Federal Employment Agency
Direct access to the full mein-NOW dataset (formerly KURSNET) – offers nationwide.
Enter a search term to browse all live continuing-education offers.
Data from mein-now.de (Federal Employment Agency) – provided without guarantee, please verify details with the provider.
Funding options explained
The main ways to finance retraining in Germany.
AVGS (§ 45 SGB III)
Activation and placement voucher (Aktivierungs- und Vermittlungsgutschein) from the Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter for measures at approved (AZAV-certified) providers. Whether and to what extent a voucher is issued is at the authority's discretion. Source: arbeitsagentur.de, § 45 SGB III (gesetze-im-internet.de), as of 2026.
Bildungsgutschein (§ 81 SGB III)
Can cover course fees and further costs if the legal requirements are met (including prior counselling, the need for further training and an approved provider). The Agentur für Arbeit or the Jobcenter decides in each individual case whether and to what extent. Source: arbeitsagentur.de, § 81 SGB III (gesetze-im-internet.de), as of 2026.
Aufstiegs-BAföG (AFBG)
Funding for advanced training such as master craftsperson (Meister), technician (Techniker) or Fachwirt, usually as a combination of a grant and a low-interest loan. Requirements and the amount depend on the training. Source: aufstiegs-bafoeg.de and the Aufstiegsfortbildungsförderungsgesetz (gesetze-im-internet.de), as of 2026.
Eigenfinanziert
Course fees paid yourself. Under certain circumstances they can be deducted for tax purposes as work-related expenses (Werbungskosten). This depends on the individual case; the tax office (Finanzamt) or a tax adviser can provide information.
How the Retraining Guide works
The Retraining Guide searches live the complete database of the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Federal Employment Agency), with retraining and further training offers across Germany. You filter by region, specialization, and funding route, so you can find directly AZAV-certified training providers that qualify for funding via Bildungsgutschein (education voucher) or Aufstiegs-BAföG, instead of clicking through various provider portals individually.
Since only AZAV-certified measures are reimbursed via the Bildungsgutschein, the guide shows this certification directly for each offer, so you don't have to check it separately. This saves a step that is often overlooked in a manual search and can later cause problems with reimbursement if a chosen measure turns out not to be eligible for funding after all.
More about the requirements and process of a funded retraining, including the counseling session at the Agentur für Arbeit and the different funding routes AZAV, Bildungsgutschein, and AFBG, can be found in the guide to the Bildungsgutschein. It also explains which documents are typically needed to prepare for the counseling session.