BERLIN (dpa-AFX) – According to the will of Federal Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD), employees in Germany should be able to go on paid training periods during their professional careers. “We will enable an educational period in Germany based on the Austrian model,” Heil told the German Press Agency in Berlin. The training period and other measures are to be introduced with a further training law. The law should be passed in the federal cabinet in the next few weeks and should give employees additional opportunities in view of the shortage of skilled workers in Germany, said Heil.
In Austria, employees can take a career break for a maximum of one year for training or further education – or part-time training for up to two years. Anyone who takes such an “educational leave” can receive a further education allowance.