In-company training (also known as ‘dual training’) is the most common form of vocational training in Germany. Training is provided both in a company and at a part-time vocational school. There are more than 320 training occupations.
The BerufeNavi internet portal provides support to young people on their path towards training. BerufeNavi offers a high-quality compilation of verified links to online information about career orientation and finding a training place. An introduction to the site and a user’s guide in Ukrainian and Russian is here: www.berufenavi.de
The Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB) has dedicated a web page to information for Ukrainian refugees (in German): BIBB / Schwerpunkt: Ukraine
The Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs provides information about work and social benefits: www.bmas.de
The local employment office can help you find suitable job opportunities: www.arbeitsagentur.de
Yes, if you have a residence permit in accordance with Section 24 (1) of the German Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz). The provisional document about your right of residence is also your permit. This document that is issued by the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde) must state “Erwerbstätigkeit erlaubt” (employment permitted). This also includes a permit for in-company training. Please note: the period of validity of the residence permit is shorter than the in-company training. A training contract can nevertheless be concluded and entered in the vocational training register
The local Federal Employment Agency (Bundesagentur für Arbeit) can assist you in your professional orientation and give advice on selecting and searching for a training option (see “Support in searching and starting work”). If you are registered with a job centre, they can assist you in searching for a training place and provide targeted support before and during the training. The Federal Employment Agency can also assist you with securing a livelihood by means of a training support grant. This is also possible during a pre-vocational training course. You can obtain further information about vocational training from the Federal Employment Agency here:
- Questions on vocational training (in German)
- Education in Germany (in English)
You can also participate in a vocational language course before or during in-company training. Further information can be found here:
- Information (in Englisch)
- Application form (in German)
At a later stage – when the requirements are met – you can also apply for a residence permit for the purpose of vocational training (Section 16a of the German Residence Act (Aufenthaltsgesetz)) at the immigration office (Ausländerbehörde). The Federal Employment Agency will then perform a priority review. No suitable, priority applicants should be available as this is the continuation of a vocational training relationship that has already begun. You can thus complete the in-company training and then apply for a residence permit as a specialist worker (Section 18a of the German Residence Act) at the immigration office.