| In a statement (20/7116) on the draft of the planned Further Education Act (20/6518), the Federal Council calls for adjustments to the qualification allowance and the training guarantee. |
The draft law of the federal government includes, among other things, the so-called qualification money and a training guarantee. If the transformation of the working world at a company means that a large part of the workforce is at risk of losing their job, employers should be able to draw on the qualification money in the future, according to the draft. Irrespective of the size of the company or the qualifications of the employees, the qualification allowance should be paid to them as wage replacement while they are released for further training – in the amount of 60 or 67 percent of the net salary. Since, according to the draft law, young people cannot be dispensed with in times of a shortage of skilled workers, a so-called training guarantee is also to be introduced.
Among other things, the Federal Council criticizes the fact that a minimum of 120 hours is required for further training measures in order to be able to receive the training allowance. The “release of employees for such a long period of time is particularly important for small businesses […] hardly possible”. The regional chamber is therefore calling for the number of hours to be reduced to 80. The requirement that a company or business must have a collective agreement or a corresponding works agreement for the promotion of measures through the training allowance should also be deleted. According to the Federal Council, this regulation could result in large companies benefiting from the training allowance.
In principle, the Federal Council welcomes the federal government’s approach to the training guarantee. However, for the desired expansion of the entry qualification (EQ), for example to address a lack of language skills, the residence permit must also be guaranteed during a change to an EQ.
In its counter-statement, the federal government makes it clear that it rejects the Bundesrat’s proposed changes to the qualification allowance and the training guarantee.
A minimum of 120 hours is absolutely necessary for “substantial professional skills transfer that goes beyond purely operational adjustment qualifications.” The federal government writes that the minimum duration also serves to differentiate it from in-company training. The funding requirement of a collective agreement or a company agreement should also remain in place. The qualification money should benefit companies “in which employers and employee representatives jointly assume responsibility for the path through structural change.”
With regard to the training guarantee, the federal government makes it clear that the new regulation for introductory training should not serve to “specifically allow interruptions in vocational training in favor of introductory training”. In terms of residence law, there is currently no residence permit for participation in introductory qualifications, so the Federal Council’s demand is meaningless in terms of residence law.
Those |
hib ‒ today in the Bundestag No. 421