PREMIERE: SUBSIDISED ONLINE FURTHER TRAINING AT THE UNIVERSITY LEVEL

Erfurt, 22 February 2021 - Use the education voucher. Online and flexible advanced education at the university level. Improve career prospects through digital skills. And shorten a future course of study at the same time: This so far unique combination of opportunities for job seekers is now offered by the new IUBH Academy. As part of the IUBH, one of the largest German universities, the academy contributes to securing skilled workers and promoting the German economy's digitalization. At the same time, it helps people and businesses through the Corona crisis by offering high-quality, sponsored online training.

The certified online further training courses at the IUBH Academy are subsidised by up to one hundred percent by the Federal Employment Agency. In addition, participants can earn study points with each course, which are based on the European Credit Transfer System ECTS. These will be credited to a later study programme at the IUBH.

A gap in high-quality digital further training

Current figures from the IUBH show that today only about one-third of job seekers find a suitable further training offer. Because often there is no clear added value or the offer is not flexibly available. "The IUBH Academy delivers university-level further training programmes and meets the needs of job seekers seeking learning opportunities that they can easily integrate into their everyday lives," explains the Academy's Director, Dr. Thomas Fink. "Funded training at this level did not exist before."

Short-time workers can also take a further training course at the IUBH Academy if their employer has been granted funding by the Federal Employment Agency. Suitable qualification offers are becoming more and more important for people on short-time work and their employers, especially as the short-time work rules will change from July: The employment agency now only pays the full social security costs for employees who undertake further training. "Further training during short-time work becomes almost a duty - but that only makes sense if there is also a corresponding offer," says Fink. Small and medium-sized enterprises in particular, which need a flexible, location-independent solution for further training, can benefit from the new offer.

Agile leader? Corporate health manager? IT Service Consultant? Or rather HR Manager in Organisational Development? The fields of knowledge at the IUBH Academy range from IT and technology to management and business to health and care. However, as different as their contents are, the further training courses have one thing in common: They impart digital skills that are highly sought after on the labour market. After all, participants can use their new knowledge to facilitate or even drive the digital transformation of their employers. Currently, there are already over 30 courses available, and in March, the number will increase to over 60.

Flexible and with iPad: The IUBH Academy uses e-learning expertise from digital studies 

The extensive experience of the IUBH, which currently prepares more than 60,000 students for the global job market, has been incorporated into the design of the course programmes and the teaching material. "We are leaders in digital learning - and not just since Corona," explains Sven Schütt, Managing Director at the IUBH. "Thanks to the IUBH Academy, we can now make our expertise available specifically to jobseekers and people on short-time work."

The first courses in the programme last four and a half months, part-time nine months. In the future, longer and shorter training courses will be added. All participants are provided with an iPad during the duration of the training. The courses consist of online lessons and half an hour of exchange per day via video conference. They are also supported by learning and career coaching. In this way, the participants can learn in a flexible and at the same time structured way.

Further information at www.iu-akademie.de .

The IUBH Academy

The IUBH Academy is part of the IUBH, one of the largest German universities with over 60,000 students. It was most recently awarded the E-Learning Award 2021. The academy is certified and accredited by AZAV and HZA. Their further training courses are listed in the course database KURSNET of the Federal Employment Agency and fulfil the requirements according to SGB III. The IUBH Academy awards points for each course passed according to the European Credit Transfer System ECTS. After passing the exam, participants can transfer the points to a following study programme at the IUBH.