Germany is preparing to introduce a system of continuing education for employees that has at its centre a one-year training leave opportunity, during which time the employee’s salary will be partially covered by the state. Opinion across the social partners is divided with some arguing that 12 months is too long for SMEs to be able to apply the leave and others arguing that 12 months is too short a time period to meaningfully accommodate a career change.
Training leave along the lines of what occurs in Austria
In an interview on 16 January 2023 with the German dpa press agency, Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) outlined the timetable and content of the draft legislation called the Continuing Training Act, which has just exited the inter-ministerial consultation phase and is due to be presented to the Council of Ministers for adoption in the coming weeks. The aim is to significantly increase training provision and facilitate the adaptation of
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Article authors
Thomas Schnee
Correspondent in Germany
As a Berlin correspondent for the French and Swiss press since the late 1990s, I cover a wide range of economic, political and social issues, with a particular focus on the German business and labour market. My areas of interest include co-determination, digitalisation, demographics and ESG/DEI policies.