topic Education

JOBSTARTER: a funding programme for more training places

The BMBF is providing funding for training places. There are special funding programmes for mobilizing training places in companies and for financing additional training places. With the "JOBSTARTER – Training for the Future" programme existing programmes are given a new orientation.

With its new "JOBSTARTER – Training for the Future" programme, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) is providing nation-wide funding for innovations and structural development in vocational education and training. The programme aims at a better regional supply of in-company training places for young people by means of motivating companies to provide training.

The programme pools, develops and complements existing BMBF activities in the area of in-company training by means of additional priority topics and funding instruments. The programme is flexible regarding regional and changing demand for training and thus contributes to optimizing regional training structures. It strengthens regional responsibility in the field of vocational training by providing support in networking regional structures so that synergies can be optimally used. Additional training potential is to be tapped in

• companies which have withdrawn from their training responsibilities and given up training,
• companies which are inexperienced in the field of training and have not provided training so far, and
• companies which are experienced in the field of training and could provide additional training places.

Furthermore, JOBSTARTER is to make a major contribution in the regions to understanding future-oriented vocational training as an instrument for coping with structural change and to also seeing training as a sustainable tool for supporting regional industry in an intelligent way. The funding of individual programmes in their present form is reoriented and standardized under an integral funding strategy.

• The differentiation between East and West is abolished. The proven instruments and models from the Regio-Competence-Training (RegioKom) and STARegio – Structural Improvements of Training in Selected Regions programmes will be mutually transferred.
• The focus is to be on initiating innovative, regional, demand-oriented and holistic projects.
• Funding is to pursue a regional approach and is to be based on socio-economic framework conditions.
• The funding of collaborative projects, external training management or training place development and the initiation and monitoring of regional and thematic networks are central objectives of the programme.

JOBSTARTER is therefore understood as a "learning programme" which is flexibly oriented to current developments.

The BMBF will provide funds to the amount of €100 million for the period 2005 to 2010, which are co-financed with ESF funds. 

The detailed concept of the "JOBSTARTER – Training for the Future" programme including the funding regulations has been set up. The results of the evaluations of past funding programmes have been taken into account. More information is available here.