As part of educational leave or educational leave, employees can be furloughed from work for a certain period of time. During this period, employees can continue their training with continued payment of wages. However, it applies no national right to training leave. However, training leave is regulated according to the federal state.
Employees are exempt from training leave different reasons. For some, it’s about satisfying the need for new challenges. But it can also be used to further educate yourself on the topic of mental and physical health. Another option is to take a training leave to familiarize yourself with new and modern work processes such as New Work.
Training leave mainly consists of giving employees time to deepen their personal training and to gather new knowledge and new ideas in order to implement them in their private and professional lives.
What are the different regulations relating to training leave by the federal state?
In principle, employees in almost all German federal states are entitled to training leave. But each federal state regulates exactly what this right looks like. In some federal states this is referred to as: educational timein other of Educational exemption. It may also vary who is entitled to it and under what conditions it is possible to take study leave.
Here is an overview:
Difference between training leave and continuing education
What are the characteristics of training leave?
Regarding the difference between continuing education and training leave, perhaps we should first clarify: even if we talk about training leave, training leave is not a form of vacation at all. It is better to talk instead about exemption for continuing education. The right to training leave is regulated by law at federal level.
Educational leave is used for continuing personal or professional training. It does not necessarily have to be professionally relevant. Employers must provide training leaveprovided that the requirements are met.
How does continuing education differ from training leave?
Unlike training leave, continuing education serves the specific purpose of what has already been acquired professional skills go into detail. It aims to acquire further qualifications in a specific professional field.
Continuing training is almost always directly job-related and can be funded and initiated by the employer. It includes subject-specific courses to prepare for new tasks or to qualify for higher positions.
Continuing education can be used in some industries and professions causing obligation be, for example, for doctors or nurses. In many cases, however, further training is voluntary, which is why there is no direct right to continued salary payment.
If the employer does not allow further training courses, these must be taken in free time, i.e. on holidays or weekends.
What is the difference between training leave and continuing education?
Higher education is a very broad term and includes all forms of education that take place after initial training or studies. May be privately or professionally motivated.
Three types of training leave
The three types of training leave include: professional development, political education and the personal training understood. Not in all federal states employees are entitled to all three types of training leave.
Professional development
Further professional training serves to improve professional qualifications. Allows employees to professional skills acquire or deepen knowledge directly related to one’s professional activity.
Continuing education, language courses, IT training or management training are part of continuous professional development.
Political education
The purpose of political education is to promote political and social consciousness the employee. This type of educational leave is intended to contribute to personal development and a better understanding of socio-political cooperation.
Examples of political education include seminars on democracy, human rights, environmental policy, European politics or history.
Personal training
The purpose of personal continuing education (or general continuing education) is to: personal development and promote employee well-being. Educational leaves in this area often include courses on topics such as health, stress management or resilience.
Personal development can take place through stress assessment courses, yoga workshops, mindfulness training, nutrition or physical health courses.
Personal training measures help to increase one’s well-being. But they also contribute in the long term Health prevention which can also have positive effects in the professional field.
This is what the application for training leave looks like
The process for requesting training leave also varies, depending on the federal state. You should therefore find out in advance which regulations apply in your federal state.
In principle, employees should remember that the deadlines for submitting applications are: four to ten weeks before starting they are sufficient.
It should also be noted which types of training leave are recognized in the respective federal state. The employer’s refusal procedure is also not the same in every federal state. In most federal states, the employer can onlyoperational reasons» reject the application. But what is understood as a «business reason» also depends on the federal state.
This makes the application process even faster
With the clockin app you can easily ask questions such as requesting training leave in digital format. The application can be completed digitally and attached to the exemption provision. Changing and confirming takes just a few clicks. Confirmed absences are automatically displayed in the calendar and replacements can be assigned.
Benefits of training leave for employers
Educational leave offers numerous benefits to both employees and employers. Unfortunately, many companies still have the prejudice that training leaves are just «additional» vacation days. This is why we want to highlight the advantages of training leave, especially for employers.
1. Qualified employees
Of course, regarding professional training leaves, the continuous training of employees can be highlighted. Employees who continue their training as part of training leave bring new knowledge and skills to the company. But this doesn’t have to happen only from a professional point of view. The training leave also serves to further develop one’s personality and therefore generally enrich the entire team.
2. Motivation and loyalty
Employers who offer their employees the opportunity to further their education demonstrate that they are investing in their employees’ personal and professional development. This strengthens employee satisfaction and can increase employee retention.
3. Increase productivity
Continuous training, especially in the professional field, leads to efficient work processes. Better trained employees can complete complex tasks faster and more competently.
4. Competitiveness
Companies benefit in the long term from more qualified employees. Especially in times of digitalization and rapidly changing markets, it is important that employees are up-to-date and able to deal with new developments.
5. Image gain
Employers who actively promote training leave enjoy a good reputation among potential employees and can position themselves as modern, employee-friendly companies. This helps with Employer branding and the Recruitment of employees.
6. Healthier employees
Taking time off for health courses, stress management or prevention measures can help employees be healthier and more resilient. This reduces absenteeism and promotes long-term performance among the workforce