People qualified in tech professions like UX (user experience), UI (user interface) and product design, data analytics, and digital marketing are currently in extremely high demand in Germany. In order to help people reenter the labour market in well-paying jobs, CareerFoundry works with the Agentur für Arbeit (Jobcenter) as an approved partner to train people from scratch in the most in-demand areas of the tech industry.
If you’re out of work, or soon to be out of work, and eligible for a Bildungsgutschein (training voucher), you can get the program entirely paid for by the Jobcenter. The programs last between 4 months (full-time) and 12 months (part-time) and are done remotely, which means it doesn’t matter whether you’re in the heart of Berlin or the outer realms of Buxtehude.
We boast an excellent success rate for getting our graduates into careers they love. Over 90% get a job within 180 days of program completion, and those aren’t just any jobs: CareerFoundry graduates have gone on to work in companies like Netflix, Visa, Mercedes Benz, and Google. To find out more about each of the programs we offer in conjunction with the Jobcenter, click on one of the links below:
- View the UX Design Program (new for 2024: you can also take the program in German)
- View the Digital Marketing Program
- View the Full-Stack Web Development Program
- View the Data Analytics Program
- View the UI Design Program
- View the Product Management Program
- View the Product Design Program
Sounds good, but am I smart enough to change my career?
This is the most frequent question we’re asked by prospective students. And our response? Absolutely! We’ve trained people from all walks of life. The programs are structured to facilitate adult learning and require no previous experience—just English comprehension (or German for the UX Design Program), a laptop, and an internet connection, and between 20 and 40 hours/week, depending on whether you’re doing the program part-time or full-time.
Once you’re halfway through your program, our Career Services Team step in to help you as you apply for jobs, just like they did with the graduates like Ophélie, David, Ryan and Maureen. Sometimes it’s best to hear from the people who’ve already completed their journey, so watch the video below in which Design Lead David Wenk explains how he originally switched into UX design, and read the story of how Maureen went from complete beginner to UX designer with CareerFoundry.
And why should I study with CareerFoundry?
CareerFoundry excels in a number of key areas:
- You can learn whenever and wherever you want, fitting your studies around other commitments. This is the big advantage of online learning, and of how CareerFoundry’s programs are arranged.
- We pride ourselves on our service: every student who signs up for one of our programs is assigned a dedicated mentor (who has 5+ years experience in the industry), a tutor, a student advisor, and a career specialist. They’ll keep you on the straight and narrow, ensure you’re motivated and making good progress, and assist heavily in preparing you for your new job.
- Our expert team of instructional designers works closely with mentors and industry professionals to ensure our programs are completely up-to-date with current trends and technologies. The programs are constructed around the project-based learning format, which means you work on real-world projects and receive regular feedback from your mentor and tutor.
- The project-based learning format, the experienced student and career services teams, and our extensive network of mentors and graduates combine to give you the best possible chance of getting a job you love on completion of your program. Our career specialists will help you add some shine to your portfolio and prepare your CV and job applications. We’ll match your commitment to getting a job every step of the way.
- New for 2024: Bolster your learning with Business German! We’ve partnered with Lingoda to offer German language classes with our Data Analytics Program! Start your learning with a two-month German language course, improving your chances of landing a job in Germany after graduation. Book a call with a program advisor to learn more about taking the Data Analytics Program with our Lingoda partnership.
How do I know if I’m eligible for a Bildungsgutschein?
To be eligible for a Bildungsgutschein, you’ll need to fulfil certain requirements. Ultimately, the decision lies with the Agentur für Arbeit (the Jobcenter), and it’s important to bear in mind that they’re not obligated to offer a training voucher to everyone.
So what requirements do you need to fulfill?
When assessing your eligibility, they will be looking to see whether further training will significantly improve your employability. First and foremost, you may be eligible for a Bildungsgutschein if:
- You are currently unemployed
- You are facing the prospect of unemployment in the near future
- You need further training in order to secure your current job
You will also need to be resident in Germany and in possession of the official Meldebescheinigung (that’s the document you get when you complete the official process of registering your address).
In addition to those official prerequisites, it’s important that you’re able to demonstrate to your advisor at the Jobcenter how a Bildungsgutschein and further training will improve your chances of finding a job. If you have a program and a new career path in mind (for example, UX design), it can be helpful to demonstrate:
- Job growth and demand within your desired field
- A link or some kind of continuity between your background and your desired field. Product designers, UX and UI designers, data analysts, coders, digital marketers, and product managers rely on a whole host of transferable skills, so be sure to highlight this!
- The benefits of your chosen program and how it will help you land a job (for example, you might mention that the CareerFoundry programs come with a Job Preparation Course and expert career coaching)
Ultimately, it’s the goal of the Agentur für Arbeit to get people into work. When applying for a Bildungsgutschein, focus on highlighting and demonstrating how it will help to enhance your employment prospects—that way, you’ll ensure that your goals are aligned with those of your Jobcenter advisor!
So what’s the next step?
If you’re not sure what exactly UX design or data analytics is, for example, or whether they could be the right fit for you, you should take one of our free short courses:
- Start your short course in UX design
- Start your short course in digital marketing
- Start your short course in data analytics
- Start your short course in web development
- Start your short course in UI design
- Start your short course in product management
- Start your short course in product design
Once you know which program you would like to do, you need to request a Bildungsgutschein for it. If you’re eligible, the program fee will be completely covered by the Arbeitsagentur. You can find further information about how to do this in our Application Guides:
- UX Design Program (if you’d like to take the program in English)
- UX Design Program (if you’d like to take the program in German)
- UI Design Program
- Data Analytics Program
- Full-Stack Web Development Program
- Digital Marketing Program
- Product Management Program
- Product Design Program
Your eligibility is determined in an appointment at your local Jobcenter. Once you’ve secured your Bildungsgutschein, get in touch with us for your chosen program under the following links:
- Apply for the UX Design Program (if you’d like to take the program in English)
- Apply for the UX Design Program (if you’d like to take the program in German)
- Apply for the Digital Marketing Program
- Apply for the Data Analytics Program
- Apply for the Web Development Program
- Apply for the UI Design Program
- Apply for the Product Management Program
- Apply for the Product Design Program
We look forward to hearing from you soon!
About the author
Ed Wood
Edward Wood is the Chief Marketing Officer at CareerFoundry, and has worked in EdTech for the past 15 years. He's helped scale multiple Berlin-based startups from a few people to a few hundred people, and has spoken across Europe at conferences including OMR in Hamburg and VivaTech in Paris.