JOBSTARTER plus

"JOBSTARTER plus" supports the goals of the national Alliance for Initial and Further Training 2015-2018 and is part of the Federal Government's Skills Development Initiative to strengthen educational opportunities and increase the permeability of the education system. It also forms part of the "Education Links to Obtain a Training Qualification" initiative.

Goals of "JOBSTARTER plus" are:

• strengthening in-company vocational training
• unlocking new skilled labour potential

The programme sponsors innovative training strategies and services that help SMEs as well as micro enterprises to recruit skilled labour and tap into new target groups. This also includes the development of close-to-enterprise strategies to improve the transition from school to vocational training. The funded regional projects within the JOBSTARTER plus programme test current VET policy topics in practice.

Building on the accompanying scientific work on the projects, the programme office, located at the Federal Institute for Vocational Education and Training (BIBB), launches and coordinates nationwide specialised networks and relays the results back to the scientific community and interested members of the public through official publications and special events. In this respect, JOBSTARTER plus projects are both models for the particular region, and offer potential to transfer good practices across regions.

Projects in the fourth round of funding can be sponsored within the following line of funding:

• Strengthening vocational education and training in micro and small enterprises