background
Millions of people live on state support – at the same time there is a lack of countless skilled workers. The new citizens’ allowance is intended to provide more incentives for training and further education.
Dang Duong Bach, his partner and their three children live in Nuremberg and receive citizen money. The father of a family from Vietnam worked for decades as a helper, which he got through temporary work agencies. The 43-year-old never thought of further training. He says he always worked to earn money for his family. Of course he knew that he would earn less without an education, but he somehow tried to make ends meet.
Most recently, he had a well-paid job, Bach says. A plant and automotive supplier hired him as a worker in assembly. He enjoyed the work. But then Corona came. Because of the economic consequences, the company had to lay off employees, and he was there. Bach and his family slipped into Hartz IV benefits in August 2020.
Pandemic experience as a turning point
For Bach, the unemployment caused by the pandemic was a turning point. With the support of the job center, he made the best of it. He attended a German course and in January 2022 began a two-year apprenticeship as an industrial mechanic at the Euro-Bildungswerk in Nuremberg. There is theory and practice from a single source. The participants do not have to attend a vocational school.
Another advantage: the training service provider has 120 companies in its portfolio where the retrainees can complete internships and put their skills to the test. Instructor Roland Weglehner from the Euro-Bildungswerk is sure that Bach will soon get a permanent job. Due to the current market situation, according to Weglehner, there is definitely a need for skilled workers. The internship company is also very satisfied with Bach. He gets involved very well, says the trainer.
With training against the shortage of skilled workers – trainers Roland Weglehner and Dang Duong Bach.
More money for further education
From July, the 43-year-old family man Bach can benefit noticeably from the new regulations on citizen income. Because the focus is on the qualification of unemployed people, says Valentina Milutinovic-Hauck, who heads the market and integration department at the Nuremberg-City job center. The clear improvement, according to Milutinovic-Hauck, is the training allowance that would be paid for three years. Every beneficiary who begins an apprenticeship or a qualification that leads to a professional qualification receives 150 euros a month – in addition to the citizen’s income.
For each successful intermediate exam there is 1000 euros, for a successful final exam 1500 euros on top of that, says Milutinovic-Hauck. Further training without a specific qualification, but which serves to integrate, would be subsidized by the job center with a citizen’s income bonus of 75 euros per month. This includes, for example, the acquisition of computer basics, mathematical knowledge or preparation for retraining.
Bach and his partner can noticeably benefit from citizen income for the first time. Together they even have 300 euros more a month, because she is also currently training to become a nanny.
Sustainable integration as a goal
Stage two of the citizen’s allowance is based on qualification. The beneficiaries should become specialists that the market needs. In this way, permanent integration into the labor market can be achieved, according to the job center. And that’s what it’s all about. The beneficiaries should be able to prepare for their professional qualifications without financial problems.
Anyone who feels insecure and needs support can get individual coaching, according to integration manager Valentina Milutinovic-Hauck from the Nuremberg-City job center. It serves as an introduction to an apprenticeship, but can also be continued during the apprenticeship or even after starting a career. So-called “top-ups”, who work but cannot live off their earnings and therefore receive citizen benefits, are allowed to keep more of their income from July.
Whoever earns between 520 euros and 1000 euros now has an allowance of thirty instead of twenty percent, which is not counted towards the citizen’s income. Apprentices under the age of 25 and school students can earn up to 520 euros without the citizen’s allowance being reduced.
Good chances of a permanent job
Dang Duong Bach and his life partner are hoping to get out of receiving benefits next year. The 43-year-old has his final exam in February. If he passes, he can apply to become an industrial mechanic and has the best chance of getting a permanent job.
Visibly touched, Bach said he wanted to thank the city “for supporting us while we do training and retraining.”