How To Apply for a Bildungsgutschein in 2025 (Step-by-Step)

Are you unemployed in Germany? Looking to start an exciting new career in the tech industry? You could retrain for free with a Bildungsgutschein. Here’s how to apply for an educational voucher, step by step.

A Bildungsgutschein is a voucher that allows you to study for free. With the right course, you can master in-demand skills that employers are looking for—like UX and UI design, web development, data analytics, or digital marketing.

In this guide, we’ll explain exactly what a Bildungsgutschein is and show you how to apply for one.

We’ll also show you how you can start an exciting new career as a UX or UI designer, data analyst, web developer, product manager, or a digital marketer with the help of a Bildungsgutschein and a CareerFoundry program.

We’ll cover:

What is a Bildungsgutschein?
Who can apply for a Bildungsgutschein?
How to apply for a Bildungsgutschein (step-by-step)
How to prepare for your appointment with the Agentur für Arbeit: 5 tips for success
Additional Bildungsgutschein FAQs:
Training for free with CareerFoundry: What programs can you take with a Bildungsgutschein?
Bildungsgutschein success stories
Key takeaways and next steps

What is a Bildungsgutschein?

A Bildungsgutschein is a voucher issued by the German Agentur für Arbeit (the job center) which allows you to study for free.

Funded by the German government, it enables you to learn new skills which will help you get back into the job market if you’re unemployed, or to obtain qualifications that are crucial to your current line of work.

So, if you find yourself unemployed or facing the prospect of unemployment, you can apply for a Bildungsgutschein and use it to take a course of your choosing—as long as it’s with a provider approved by the Agentur für Arbeit.

We’ll take a look at the CareerFoundry programs you can take with a Bildungsgutschein in section six of this guide.

Who can apply for a Bildungsgutschein?

To be eligible for a Bildungsgutschein, you must be resident in Germany and have completed the official registration process (the “Anmeldung,” where you register your address at the local “Bürgeramt”). Aside from that, you may be eligible for a Bildungsgutschein if:

You are currently unemployed
You are currently employed but facing the prospect of unemployment
You require further training in order to ensure job security in your current employment
You require further training in order to make up for a “missing” qualification which is relevant to your line of work

It’s important to bear in mind that even if you meet the above criteria, you’re not guaranteed to receive a Bildungsgutschein, and CareerFoundry has no influence over the decision. Once you’ve gone through the application process, the decision ultimately lies with your local job center.

So how do you get an educational voucher in Germany? Let’s outline the application process.

How to apply for a Bildungsgutschein (step-by-step)

To apply for a Bildungsgutschein and study for free with CareerFoundry, you’ll need to go through the following process:

Decide which program you would like to take
Make an appointment with your local Agentur für Arbeit (job center)
Prepare for your appointment
Attend your appointment with the job center (bringing all necessary documents with you)
Complete the CareerFoundry admission process
Start your program

Let’s go through each of these steps in more detail.

1. Decide which program you would like to take

Before you apply for a Bildungsgutschein, it’s a good idea to have a particular training program in mind. It’s important to show the Agentur für Arbeit how a Bildungsgutschein will help you, and this will be easier if you’re able to talk about specific program outcomes and job prospects within your chosen field.

At CareerFoundry, you can learn the following skills for free with a Bildungsgutschein: UX and UI design, web development, data analytics, digital marketing, and product management.

Ahead of your application for a training voucher, spend some time researching your field(s) and program(s) of interest. This will enable you to speak confidently about why you want to learn those particular skills—and help you put forward a compelling case for why you should be granted a Bildungsgutschein.

Not sure which program is best for you? Try a free introductory short course first:

2. Make an appointment with your local Agentur für Arbeit

To start the application process, you’ll need to schedule an appointment with your local Agentur für Arbeit. You can do this via the official website for the Bundesagentur für Arbeit. Once on that page:

Scroll down to the section titled “Förderung der beruflichen Weiterbildung anfragen” (or in English: “Request funding for professional development”).
Click on the “Förderung anfragen” button (in English: “request funding”).

This will take you to a portal where you can either log in with an existing account (if you’ve already got one) or create a new one. From there, you can schedule your appointment with the job center.

3. Prepare for your appointment with the job center

Before attending your appointment, you must have all necessary documents ready.

What to bring to your appointment with the Agentur für Arbeit:

A form of photo ID (passport or ID card)
Proof of residence and registration in Germany (This is known as the “Anmeldebescheinigung”)
An up-to-date copy of your resumé
The CareerFoundry application guide and a personalized proposal. Elsewhere on our site you can find our UX design application guide, our UI design application guide, our data analytics application guide, web development application guide, digital marketing application guide, and our product management application guide.
The vocational identification number (Berufskennzahl) and measure number (Maßnahmennummer) for your chosen program. You’ll find these in the CareerFoundry application guide.
A list of current job openings in your chosen field—you can bring screenshots from job sites such as indeed and LinkedIn.

4. Attend your appointment with the Agentur für Arbeit

With your documents to hand, you’re ready to attend your appointment at the job center. The purpose of this appointment is to discuss your application with an agent from the Agentur für Arbeit. They will evaluate your case and ultimately decide whether or not to issue you a Bildungsgutschein.

What to expect from your appointment and how to prepare:

The agent will want to know about your career goals, why you’re applying for a Bildungsgutschein, and why you’re interested in taking a particular course. They might ask you:

Questions about your current situation: are you currently unemployed or at risk of unemployment?
Questions about your previous work experience and professional background
If you are actively looking for work, and where/how you have been looking for jobs
Questions about your career goals: what kind of job are you aiming for after you complete a course?
Questions about your chosen course or program: what course are you considering and why? How does the course align with and support your career goals? Is there high demand for skills in this particular field?
Questions about your commitment: are you aware of the course duration and requirements? Can you demonstrate that you are motivated and ready to commit to your chosen course?

If you do not speak German, it is advisable to bring a German speaker with you to your appointment. Please bear in mind that you’re not guaranteed to get a Bildungsgutschein—it’s at the discretion of your Agentur für Arbeit advisor.

We’ll share additional tips for how to prepare for, and ace, your job center appointment later on in this guide.

5. Complete the CareerFoundry admission process

Once you’ve received your Bildungsgutschein, you’re ready to enroll on your chosen CareerFoundry program. To do this, we’ll ask you to:

Complete a quick survey—this helps us get to know you better and make sure you’re a good match for the program you’ve chosen.
Read and sign the terms of participation. This contains everything you need to know about the program and how our partnership with the Agentur für Arbeit works.
Complete an admissions test. Don’t worry, it’s not as serious as it sounds; we just want to make sure you know exactly what to expect from the program.
Complete an English test—the minimum required level of English is B1.2.
Send us a copy of your Bildungsgutschein.

6. Start your program

Once you’ve got your Bildungsgutschein and completed the CareerFoundry admission process, you’re ready to start your program! You’ll be given access to the online platform and assigned a one-to-one mentor and tutor.

You’ll also receive ongoing support from your student advisors, our dedicated Bildungsgutschein team, and a community of fellow students and career-changers. In a matter of months, you’ll have learned all the key practical skills needed to get hired as a digital marketer, product manager, data analyst, web developer or a UX or UI designer, and you’ll have the professional portfolio—and the confidence—to show for it.

How to prepare for your appointment with the Agentur für Arbeit: 5 tips for success

As part of the application process for your Bildungsgutschein, you’ll attend an appointment with the job center. Throughout the appointment, you’ll discuss your current situation and career goals with a dedicated advisor, and put forward your reasons for wanting a Bildungsgutschein.

There’s no need to be nervous about the appointment. With some careful preparation, you can attend the session with confidence, clarity, and purpose. Here are five tips to set you up for success.

1. Research your desired program in advance

Before your appointment, conduct thorough and extensive research into the program you want to pursue. If the job center agent asks you, be ready to answer questions about the course content, duration, cost, and format. This shows that you’re prepared and are serious about the course in question.

You may want to prepare a brief, one-page printout highlighting key details about the course. You can refer to it during the appointment and share it with your job center agent if requested.

2. Demonstrate motivation, commitment, and a proactive attitude

You want to convince your Agentur für Arbeit advisor that you’re truly motivated to learn new skills. And, if you’re currently unemployed, that you’ve been proactive in your job search so far. This shows that you’re putting in the effort to boost your employability, and that a Bildungsgutschein is the best next step.

Bring proof of your job search efforts so far—a document showing what jobs you’ve applied for, for example, or examples of cover letters.

At the same time, come prepared with a plan for how you’ll tackle your chosen course. If the course requires a certain number of study hours per week, you could draw up an example timetable for how you’ll fit the program into your schedule.

3. Be clear about your career goals (and relate them to your chosen course)

Think about how your chosen program will help you achieve your career goals, and prepare to explain exactly why the program is essential for improving your job prospects.

Where possible, draw connections or parallels between your professional background and the program you want to take. If you’ve worked in marketing, for example, you can emphasize that this is a great foundation for the user research aspect of UX design.

It can also be useful to list out the key skills needed for the career path you want to pursue, then demonstrate how the course will help you develop these skills.

By highlighting concrete value and outcomes from your desired course, you can put forward a strong case for a Bildungsgutschein.

4. Talk about industry demand (and bring supporting facts and figures)

Ultimately, the Agentur für Arbeit has one goal: to help you get hired and back into employment. It’s therefore incredibly helpful if you can demonstrate that the skills you want to learn with your Bildungsgutschein are in high demand.

You might share:

The number of job listings currently available within your field of interest
Projected industry growth rate for the coming years, based on data provided by reputable sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics
Trends that are driving demand for certain skills (you can talk about rapid digitization, for example, and how this is driving high demand for tech skills)

Depending on your course of interest, the following guides can help you when talking about industry demand:

5. Update your resume and have your documents prepared

Last but not least, make sure your resume is up-to-date and that you have all necessary documents to hand. Have them printed out and organized neatly in a folder, ready for you to access them quickly during your appointment.

As a reminder, here’s what you’ll need to bring:

Photo ID
Proof that you are resident in Germany and registered at your address (Anmeldebescheinigung)
A copy of your resume (recently updated)
The CareerFoundry application guide and a personalized proposal
The vocational identification number (Berufskennzahl) and measure number (Maßnahmennummer) for your chosen program. You’ll find these in the CareerFoundry application guide.
A list of current job openings in your chosen field

Good luck!

Additional Bildungsgutschein FAQs

Is there a Bildungsgutschein for working people?

If you’re currently employed, you’ll only be considered for a Bildungsgutschein if your job is not secure and you’re likely to face unemployment in the near future. If your job is secure and you just want to complete some further training, you will not be eligible for a Bildungsgutschein.

How will a Bildungsgutschein help you land a job?

A Bildungsgutschein gives you a great opportunity to learn in-demand skills for free. With an educational voucher and a CareerFoundry program, you’ll be equipped to enter the job market with industry-relevant skills, a professional portfolio, and the confidence to forge a career you’ll love.

Our mission at CareerFoundry is to train people for the in-demand tech careers of today and tomorrow—whether you’re a complete beginner or already have some relevant experience. All of our programs are based on extensive research into the job market and in-depth surveys with industry experts, and the program curricula have been designed to equip you with all the practical skills that employers look for—leaving you with a polished portfolio that showcases these skills.

In addition to project-based learning and continuous feedback from industry professionals, you’ll also have access to a free Job Preparation Course. This has been designed to help you with every aspect of finding a job in the field; you’ll work with a one-to-one career specialist who will help you search for jobs, prepare for interviews, refine your LinkedIn profile, and develop an effective networking strategy. And, if you complete the Job Preparation Course, you’ll have access to our career support for another six months after you complete your program.

Over 90% of eligible CareerFoundry graduates find a job within six months of completing their chosen program, and we’re confident that you can, too. But don’t just take our word for it; check out some of our favourite Bildungsgutschein success stories in the next section.

What costs does a Bildungsgutschein cover?

In addition to the full cost of your chosen course, a Bildungsgutschein may also cover the following:

Travel expenses to and from your home and the educational institution
Accommodation (if you are required to stay away from home as part of your chosen course)
Childcare costs

Bear in mind that the above expenses will not be covered when you take a CareerFoundry program; our programs are entirely online, so there’ll be no need to travel. Any unemployment benefits you’re already receiving will not be affected by the Bildungsgutschein—you’ll continue to receive them as normal.

You can learn more about the costs covered by the Bildungsgutschein on the Agentur website.

Training for free with CareerFoundry: what programs can you take with a Bildungsgutschein?

Here at CareerFoundry, our User Experience (UX) Design, User Interface (UI) Design, Data Analytics, Digital Marketing, Product Management, and Full-Stack Web Development programs are available for free with a Bildungsgutschein.

Study UX design with your Bildungsgutschein

User experience, or UX, refers to any kind of interaction a user has with a product or service. A good user experience is seamless and easy to navigate, while a bad user experience leaves you feeling frustrated and unable to complete your desired task.

Think about booking a flight online or finding a certain item in your local supermarket; the quality of the experience depends on the overall design of the website or the store. UX designers consider all the elements that shape the user journey, combining market research, product development, strategy, and creativity to solve specific user problems. If you’d like to learn more about UX and what it entails, have a read through the following:

The CareerFoundry UX Design Program will take you from complete beginner to job-ready designer in a matter of months. The program is offered entirely online, but you won’t be going it alone; you’ll have the support of both an expert mentor and a tutor, as well as tailored coaching from a career specialist.

The program takes just over five months to complete on a full-time basis (40 hours per week) or just over ten months on a part-time basis (20 hours per week). And, with your Bildungsgutschein, it’s completely free.

Learn more about the program in this guide to the CareerFoundry UX Design Program.

Study UI design with your Bildungsgutschein

UI design encompasses all the visual and interactive properties of a digital user interface. Consider the apps and websites you use on a daily basis, and how you navigate from A to B using various buttons, swiping, and scrolling motions.

Think of all the colors, images, animations, and fonts you encounter, and how the design adapts to different devices and screen sizes. All of these elements are created by a user interface designer. UI designers tend to be highly creative with a good eye for aesthetics, but they’re not only responsible for making things look pretty; it’s also important to have an interest in human users and how the visual design impacts the overall experience.

You can learn more about UI design in the following guides:

With your Bildungsgutschein, you can take the CareerFoundry UI Design Program for free. As with the UX program, you’ll work with an expert mentor, tutor, and career advisor, and build your professional UI design portfolio. The program takes four months to complete on a full-time basis (40 hours per week) and up to eight months on a part-time basis (20 hours per week).

Learn more about the program in this guide to the UI Design Program.

Study data analytics with your Bildungsgutschein

Every company in every industry uses data of one sort or another. But for a huge amount of these companies, they don’t actually know what do with all of that raw data, or to get any meaning out of it. This is why learning how to analyze all of that data has become a prized skillset.

Essentially, data analytics is the process of analysing raw data to pull out insights in order to make smarter business decisions. It’s kind of like taking all of the scrambled jigsaw pieces and to pick out patterns which can tell you something useful or relevant about the business’s operations. It’s no surprise, then, that data analysts and scientists made it into CareerKarma’s top tech jobs of 2023.

You can learn more about data analytics in the following guides:

With your Bildungsgutschein, you can take the CareerFoundry Data Analytics Program for free. As with all our programs, you’ll work with an expert mentor, tutor, and career advisor, and build your professional data analytics portfolio.

The program takes just over four months to complete on a full-time basis (40 hours per week) and up to ten months on a part-time basis (20 hours per week).

Learn more about the program in this guide to the Data Analytics Program.

Study web development with your Bildungsgutschein

Web development is the process of building applications and websites for the internet, or for a private network known as an intranet.

Web developers are not concerned with the design of a website; rather, they focus on the code that powers the website and actually drives its functionality. For example, when you fill out an online form and the information is sent to a database, that’s powered by code which has been written by a web developer.

In fact, pretty much everything we use on the internet has been built by a web developer—from the most simple, static webpages to social media platforms, from e-commerce websites to content management systems used to publish blogs (like this one!). You can learn more about web development in the following guides:

With your Bildungsgutschein, you can take the CareerFoundry Full-Stack Web Development Program for free. With the one-to-one guidance of your expert mentor and tutor, you’ll learn all of the skills, tools, and processes necessary to become a job-ready developer. You’ll also build a professional portfolio out of the projects you complete on the course.

The program takes six months to complete on a full-time basis (40 hours per week), and twelve months on a part-time basis (20 hours per week).

Learn more about the program in this guide to the Full-Stack Web Development Program.

Study digital marketing with your Bildungsgutschein

A career in digital marketing offers variety, a constant learning curve, and the chance to make an impact. Broadly speaking, companies use digital marketing to connect with their target audience(s). Company marketing might wish to establish their brand, build credibility, or promote products and services. The ultimate goal is engaging the right people with the right content.

There are many different types of digital marketing, and each subset of this broad discipline relies on different formats, techniques, and metrics to establish and monitor success.

For example, digital marketers may follow how many people opened an email or engaged with a paid social media advertisement. Over time, data enables teams to see what works and what doesn’t across their channels—constantly optimizing content based on performance metrics.

You can learn more about digital marketing in the following guides:

What is digital marketing?
What does a digital marketing specialist do?

With your Bildungsgutschein, you can take the CareerFoundry Digital Marketing Program for free. As with all our programs, you’ll work with an expert mentor, tutor, and career advisor, and build your professional portfolio.

The program takes just under six to complete on a full-time basis (40 hours per week) and up to just over eleven months on a part-time basis (20 hours per week).

Learn more about the program in this guide to the Digital Marketing Program.

Study product management with your Bildungsgutschein

Product management is critical to business success. Those in product management oversee the conception, development, and launch of an organization’s product or service. They’re responsible for the overall success of the product, guiding it through every stage in the product life cycle. From creating a vision for the product and devising a plan to see that vision realized—the primary goal is to drive growth for the business while meeting customer needs and staying within the realm of technical feasibility. It’s a varied and multidisciplinary field, spanning business, technology, and user experience (UX).

The product management department makes decisions about the direction of the product or service, and prioritizes the investment of time and resources. In collaboration with company stakeholders, they decide what should be built and when while developing and adapting the product roadmap as the product evolves.

You can learn more about product management in the following guides:

How to become a product manager: Everything you need to know
What does a product manager actually do?

Using your future Bildungsgutschein, you can take the CareerFoundry Product Development Program for free. With the one-to-one guidance of your expert mentor and tutor, you’ll learn all of the skills, tools, and processes necessary to become a job-ready product manager. You’ll also build a professional portfolio out of the projects you complete in the program.

The program takes three months to complete on a full-time basis (40 hours per week) and six months to complete on a part-time basis (20 hours per week).

Learn more about the program in this guide to the Product Management Program.

Is it completely free to take a CareerFoundry program with a Bildungsgutschein?

Yes! As long as you’ve got a valid Bildungsgutschein, the CareerFoundry UX and UI Design, Data Analytics, Web Development, Digital Marketing, and Product Management (coming soon) Programs are completely free.

It’s also important to note that you can only take one training program per Bildungsgutschein. Once you’ve got your Bildungsgutschein, you’ll need to complete the CareerFoundry admissions process, which we’ve outlined in the next section.

Bildungsgutschein success stories

Here at CareerFoundry, we’ve helped hundreds of people retrain and start exciting new careers in the tech industry.

Many of our successful graduates have used the Bildungsgutschein to study for free and land a job shortly after—like Nimet, a former account manager who now works as a UX/UI designer at a well-known price comparison site, and Alexander, a former business admin professional who now works as a UX designer at a creative agency.

Sharing her experience as a Bildungsgutschein career-changer, Nimet says:

“Before studying with CareerFoundry, I considered just applying for jobs as a UX designer and learning on the job. I’m so glad I didn’t do that because I would’ve made a total fool of myself. Many people learn the lingo and dive into the field without truly learning the process and the discipline. CareerFoundry trained me in practical tools like Sketch, but I was also trained not to assume that what works for me will necessarily work for others. I’m still learning so many new things on the job, but CareerFoundry taught me enough to feel so confident in what I do.”

Alexander, meanwhile, highlights the value of the Job Preparation Course:

“Doing the course is one thing, but the real challenge is taking everything you’ve learned on the course and applying it to a new career. UX design isn’t like any other vocation. It’s not just going to work and doing the 9 to 5; it’s what you do outside of your working hours—how you improve and how you network. There’s a lot more to it, and the job prep course really gets you ready for that.”

You can read Nimet and Alexander’s full career-change stories here:

- - How I retrained as a UX designer for free with a Bildungsgutschein: An interview with Nimet
  - How I landed my dream job in UX for free: An interview with Alexander

Key takeaways and next steps

As you can see, the Bildungsgutschein offers an excellent opportunity to learn new skills and future-proof your career—completely free of charge.

Keen to learn more about UX, UI, data analytics, web development, digital marketing, or product management? Check out the following: