Professional Development in Germany

Well-trained specialists with up-to-date knowledge and skills are particularly sought after on the job market. At the same time, the world of work is constantly changing, for example, due to new technology, new laws or social developments. Continuing professional development can therefore be useful – or even necessary. It can improve your career opportunities in the job market. Even after a long break from work, continuing education can make it easier to return to your profession. 

In addition, you can advance your career by learning new skills: continuing education can open up new areas of responsibility in your profession and improve your chances of obtaining a higher position. 

Your employer may recommend further training. You may also have to undertake further training because you have been unable to find a job for a long time. For some professions, continuing professional development is even mandatory – for example, for teachers or medical professionals. However, you may also decide to undertake continuing professional development out of your own interest.

There are many different types of further training programmes. They vary in content, duration, teaching method and the type of certification. To find the right further training programme for you, you should ask yourself a few questions.

The right further training programme for you depends in particular on what you want to achieve with it: Do you want to adapt your professional skills to current changes in the world of work? Then an adaptation course would be most suitable. Do you want to further develop in your profession and perhaps even take on a higher position? Then an advancement course would be appropriate. Or do you want to completely reorient yourself professionally? Then retraining would be an option.

However, the right training course for you also depends on how much time you have available: Are you flexible with time and location? Or are you tied to one place and only have time for training in the evenings or at weekends? Some training courses last only a few days, while others last several months or longer.

There are also training courses that only take place in the evenings or at weekends – ideal if you have to work during the week. In addition, there are training courses where lessons take place only online – or where there are no group lessons at all, and everyone learns on its own and takes an exam at the end. 

It is also important to consider your own strengths, weaknesses and interests when looking for a suitable further training course. Expected developments in the job market should also be taken into account to find a further training course that offers good long-term prospects in your profession. Finally, you should also clarify the financing question, as further training often costs a lot of money.

There are many providers – public and private – offering a wide range of further training programmes.

You can search for and compare providers and courses in Hesse online in the Hessian Further Training Database. The Federal Employment Agency's online portal ‘mein NOW’ offers another search function for further training programmes. 

The Chambers of Industry and Commerce (IHK) and the Chambers of Crafts (HWK) are important providers of further training in Germany. They offer many part-time courses and certifications – the IHK primarily for skilled workers in the commercial sector and in business (e.g. business administration and subject-specific further training).

You can search for IHK further training courses on the IHK organisation's online portal ‘WIS’. You can obtain information on further training in the skilled trades from your local Chamber of Crafts. You can find the chambers in your area using the Chamber Finder or the IHK Finder. 

You can also contact advice and information centres for continuing education to help you with your search. You can use the InfoWeb Further Education to search for such advice and information centres in your area throughout Germany. The Educational counselling portal in Hesse lists over 80 advice centres.

Adult education centres and local chambers of crafts and chambers of industry and commerce also often offer advice on choosing the right continuing education course. The Walter Kolb Foundation in Frankfurt am Main offers free general advice on the job market and continuing education. 

In addition to public and private providers offering face-to-face further education, there are also mainly virtual further education courses offered by so-called distance learning schools. Unlike distance learning universities, they mainly offer courses without academic degrees. You can search for certified distance learning courses on the website of the State Central Office for Distance Learning (ZFU).

There are significant differences in the quality of further training programmes. These are often not apparent at first glance. To find a suitable and high-quality further training programme, you should therefore compare the programmes offered by several providers: How do the selected programmes differ in terms of type, content, duration, cost and qualification? 

In addition to personal criteria and professional goals, the content of the further education programme should also match the needs of the labour market. Providers that have undergone certification use quality seals to demonstrate that their further education programmes meet a certain standard. Courses and providers with a quality seal are specially marked in the Hessian Continuing Education Database. 

The further education programmes offered by the chambers are geared to the current requirements of the labour market and generally have a high standard of quality. Thanks to close cooperation with companies and industry associations, the further education programmes offered by the chambers also have a practical orientation.

Depending on the purpose of the training, a distinction is made between the following types:

• Adaptive training: This serves to maintain existing professional skills and abilities and to bring them up to date concerning technical, economic, social or legal innovations, for example. This helps to ensure that professional tasks can continue to be performed well in the future. Further training measures within the framework of adaptation training often take place in courses and seminars.
• Advancement training: This serves to expand existing professional skills and abilities with new skills and abilities. This makes it possible to broaden one's professional field of activity and advance to higher, more demanding job positions. A concrete example is further training to become a master craftsman or technician in skilled trades. As a rule, advanced training requires completed vocational training and several years of professional experience. Advanced training courses are usually regulated courses of study based on a legal framework.
• Retraining: This serves to qualify individuals for a different occupation. Retraining leads to a recognised qualification in a new occupational field. In addition to a personal desire to reorient oneself professionally, the economic situation or the situation on the labour market may also necessitate a career change. Further information on retraining can be found on the Federal Employment Agency's online portal ‘mein NOW’.

The duration of continuing education courses varies greatly. Depending on the type and scope, continuing education can last from a few days to several weeks or months to more than a year. Advanced training or retraining courses usually take longer than adaptation training courses and seminars.

The duration also depends on whether the training takes place every day from morning to evening or, for example, only a few days a week. In-service training courses, in particular, usually only take place in the evenings or at weekends. If you decide to take a training course that takes place online (e.g. a distance learning course at a distance learning school), you can often organise the training yourself to a large extent.

Professional development costs money. The costs vary greatly depending on the provider, content, course duration and desired qualification. Comprehensive further education can quickly cost several thousand euros. In addition to the costs of the respective course or programme, there may be additional costs, for example, for learning materials, travel, and accommodation. In some cases, the employer contributes to the costs of continuing education. 

If you have to pay for the training yourself, there are options for financial support – for example, through government support programmes. You can search for support offers in the federal government's online support database or in the ‘mein NOW’ support navigator. One specific example is the so-called ‘Aufstiegs-BAföG’ (upgrading training assistance): Funding is available for preparation for more than 700 further education qualifications, such as master craftsman or specialist.

As a foreign skilled worker, you can receive this funding if you are permanently resident in Germany and have a specific residence permit (such as a permanent residence permit), or if you have already been legally resident in Germany for 15 months and have been working here. This also includes the time you spent in vocational training if you completed this in Germany. Further information is available on the website of the Federal Ministry of Education, Family, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth or from the relevant information hotline. 

Private financing options, such as education loans, are also an option. If you are unemployed, you may also be eligible for financial support from the Employment Agency.

Sie können sich bei Fragen zu Finanzierungs- und Fördermöglichkeiten auch an eine passende Beratungs- und Informationsstellen in Ihrer Nähe wenden. Auf dem Portal Bildungsberatung in Hessen finden Sie über 80 Beratungsstellen in Hessen.

It is important that you receive proof of the qualifications you have acquired after successfully completing your continuing professional development. 

Adaptation training courses (e.g. courses and seminars) usually end without an officially recognised examination. In these cases, you will often only receive a certificate of attendance. This should include details of the training content and the number of hours attended to be accepted as proof of qualification.

Advanced training courses are usually regulated and conclude with an examination by a competent authority. Upon successful completion, you will receive an examination certificate, which is usually officially recognised and entitles you to use a generally recognised professional title.