Bildungsgutschein in English: Who Gets It and How to Apply
The Bildungsgutschein explained in English: what Germany's training voucher pays for, who gets one, the four steps to apply and the extra money for exams.
A Bildungsgutschein is a training voucher from Germany's Federal Employment Agency, the Bundesagentur für Arbeit. It confirms that the agency pays for a vocational training course when that course is necessary to end your unemployment or to stop it before it starts. You get it after a counselling meeting at your Agentur für Arbeit, and you can only use it for an approved course with an approved provider. Since 1 January 2025 the Agentur für Arbeit also handles this support for Jobcenter clients.
Everything below comes from two sources, both in German: the agency's page Bildungsgutschein (opens in a new tab) and the law behind it, § 81 SGB III (opens in a new tab). I read both on 26 October 2026. Rules and amounts change, so check the page again before you apply.
I work on the other voucher. Since September 2022 I have coached adults in Germany's career and integration programmes, which the Jobcenter and the Arbeitsagentur fund through the AVGS, the voucher for activation and coaching. When a course is what stands between you and a job, the Bildungsgutschein is the voucher that pays for it.
What the Bildungsgutschein is for
The agency describes it as support for vocational further training that improves your individual employability. Its own examples:
- Anpassungsqualifizierung: an upskilling course that adds to or updates the qualification you already have.
- Umschulung: a retraining for a new occupation.
- Teilqualifizierung: a partial qualification that covers part of an occupation.
For unemployed people the agency also funds basic skills in reading, writing, maths and information technology, when they lay the ground for further training or improve your chances on the job market. Under certain conditions you have a legal right to support for catching up a vocational qualification, or a Hauptschulabschluss or an equivalent school certificate.
The voucher is not limited to the unemployed. Employees can get support for training within their current job, with the agency covering all or part of the course cost. The agency explains that route on a separate page.
Who gets a Bildungsgutschein
§ 81 (1) SGB III sets three conditions:
- The training is necessary to get you back into work when you are unemployed, or to avert unemployment that threatens you.
- The Agentur für Arbeit counselled you before the course starts.
- The course and its provider are approved for funding.
The agency page adds that there are individual conditions, which it discusses with you in a personal counselling meeting. Only when all of them are met do you get the voucher. Plan for that meeting: it decides the outcome.
The voucher usually comes with limits. It runs for a set period, covers a region and names a specific education goal. The provider you pick hands the voucher to the agency before the course begins.
What it pays for
The Bildungsgutschein confirms that the agency covers the cost of the training. The agency lists:
| Cost | Covered |
|---|---|
| Course fees, learning materials, work clothes, exam fees | Yes |
| Travel to the course | Yes |
| Childcare during the training | Yes |
| Accommodation and meals away from home | When a daily commute is not reasonable |
Which costs apply to you, the agency settles in the counselling meeting.
If you start a course while you receive unemployment benefit (Arbeitslosengeld), the benefit usually keeps running. My guide to unemployment benefit in Germany covers how ALG I and Bürgergeld work.
Extra money for courses that end in a qualification
Two payments apply to courses that lead to a qualification, such as a retraining, a partial qualification that connects to an occupation, or a course that prepares you for the external exam:
- Weiterbildungsgeld: 150 euros a month while you take part.
- Weiterbildungsprämie: 1,000 euros for passing the intermediate exam, under certain conditions, and 1,500 euros for passing the final exam.
The agency checks in the counselling meeting whether your course qualifies for either.
How to apply, step by step
The agency sets out four steps:
- Get in touch. Contact your Agentur für Arbeit or your Jobcenter. You can request the appointment online through the agency's funding request (opens in a new tab). The agency then invites you to a counselling meeting.
- Get counselled. You talk through your training plans. Afterwards you learn whether you meet the individual conditions. If you do, you can receive a Bildungsgutschein.
- Find the course. Search for the training or retraining that fits your goal in the agency's course portal, mein NOW (opens in a new tab).
- Send your documents. While you take part, you upload the required proof online.
The agency's leaflet, Merkblatt 6 on vocational training, has the full detail. It is in German: Merkblatt 6 (opens in a new tab).
How to prepare for the counselling meeting
The meeting decides whether the training counts as necessary for you. Go in with your case written down:
- the job you aim for, in one sentence;
- what stands between you and that job today;
- how the course closes that gap, and what the job market asks for.
If your German is not yet strong enough for the meeting, say so when you book it and ask how the agency can help.
A Bildungsgutschein in English
Want to take the course itself in English? § 81 SGB III sets no language for the course. What it does require is an approved course with an approved provider, and the voucher names an education goal. So the language is a question for the provider and for your counselling meeting. Ask the provider in which language the course runs, and raise it with the agency before you choose.
Think about the job after the course too. If the occupation you train for works in German, a course in English may leave you with a gap at the interview. My guide to jobs in Germany for English speakers covers where English works and where German decides.
Bildungsgutschein or AVGS?
Germany runs two vouchers that people mix up:
| Bildungsgutschein | AVGS | |
|---|---|---|
| Law | § 81 SGB III | § 45 SGB III |
| Pays for | Vocational training: upskilling, retraining, partial qualifications | Activation and placement: job coaching, help into work |
| Issued by | Agentur für Arbeit, after counselling | Jobcenter or Agentur für Arbeit caseworker |
| Provider | Approved course and provider | Approved measure and provider |
If you need help with direction, applications and interviews before or instead of a course, the AVGS is the voucher to ask about. I explain it in AVGS coaching in English.
When a course is the wrong first step
A course closes a skills gap. If you are not sure yet which job you want, settle that first, or the voucher pays for a course that leads somewhere you never meant to go. That decision is the part I help with: I coach one to one by video in English or German, and the details are in career coaching in Germany, in English.
Questions and answers
What is a Bildungsgutschein?
A training voucher from the Agentur für Arbeit. It confirms that the agency covers the cost of a vocational training course, such as an upskilling course, a retraining or a partial qualification. The legal basis is § 81 SGB III.
Who can get a Bildungsgutschein?
People for whom the training is necessary to end their unemployment or to avert unemployment that threatens them. Employees can also get support for training within their current job. The agency checks your individual conditions in a counselling meeting before it issues the voucher.
Can I use a Bildungsgutschein for a course in English?
§ 81 SGB III sets no language for the course. The course and its provider must be approved, and the voucher names an education goal. Ask the provider which language the course runs in and raise it in your counselling meeting before you choose.
What does the Bildungsgutschein pay for?
Course fees, including learning materials, work clothes and exam fees, plus travel costs and childcare during the training. Accommodation and meals away from home are covered when a daily commute is not reasonable. The agency settles in the counselling meeting which costs apply to you.
What is the difference between a Bildungsgutschein and an AVGS?
The Bildungsgutschein under § 81 SGB III pays for vocational training. The AVGS under § 45 SGB III pays for activation and placement measures such as job coaching. A caseworker issues both, and both need an approved provider.
Work with me: Career and business coaching