Ausbildung in Germany for International Students

Make it in Germany: Vocational training (Ausbildung)

The official national portal for skilled immigration. For Ausbildung it gives multilingual guidance on the German dual-training system, a Quick-Check eligibility tool based on your country of origin, and a training-vacancy board fed by the Federal Employment Agency.

Who it is for: Prospective trainees from abroad, including non-EU applicants from Africa

How to apply: Run the Quick-Check, search the training listings, apply directly to a training company, then apply for the Section 16a vocational-training visa at the German mission in your country.

Official information and matching portal, not an employer or sponsor. Visa support means official guidance plus the Quick-Check, not that it files your visa; B1 can be waived if the company confirms your German is sufficient. You still find a training company yourself, and many listings are in German. Genuinely usable from abroad.

ZAV: International Placement Services

The Federal Employment Agency's specialist unit for the international labour market. It advises and places international professionals and trainees, runs structured sector and country recruitment programmes, and operates the Working and Living in Germany guidance service in German and English.

Who it is for: International jobseekers and trainees wanting to work or train in Germany

How to apply: Contact the Working and Living in Germany hotline (+49 30 1815-1111) or make-it-in-germany@arbeitsagentur.de; specific sector and country programmes such as Triple Win have their own routes.

Official advisory and placement body, not an employer. Its structured inbound recruitment runs mostly through sector and country programmes rather than open fresh-Ausbildung placement for individuals from Africa. Best treated as the official starting point for advice and for finding the programme that fits.

Triple Win: Sustainable recruitment of nurses

A government-run placement programme that recruits ALREADY-QUALIFIED nurses from selected partner countries for German employers. It provides pre-departure German training, organises the move, helps with the visa, and supports recognition after arrival. This is not a fresh Ausbildung.

Who it is for: Nurses who already hold a recognised nursing qualification in a partner country

How to apply: Apply through the designated partner organisation in your country via the published Triple Win job adverts; ZAV runs the selection interviews and employers then interview pre-selected candidates.

Important: this is placement plus recognition for people who already have a nursing qualification abroad, not a German apprenticeship. Africa relevance is currently limited: partner countries have included Tunisia, alongside the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Jordan and Bosnia and Herzegovina, so most of sub-Saharan Africa is not yet served. Partner countries change, so confirm the current list and open rounds on the official GIZ page.

pflegeausbildung.net: for applicants from abroad

The official national information and advisory portal for the three-year German nursing Ausbildung (Pflegefachfrau / Pflegefachmann). It has a dedicated section for people from abroad, an advisory team via live chat, a nursing-school directory, and a BIBB flyer in seven languages including English, French and Arabic.

Who it is for: Prospective nursing trainees from abroad, including non-EU applicants, with no prior qualification

How to apply: Use the advisory chat and the nursing-school directory to find and apply to a Pflegeschule; visa and language questions are referred to the official portals and the BAMF hotline.

A FRESH Ausbildung information and advisory portal, not an employer or sponsor, and not a recognition route. The from-abroad page is a signpost: it does not itself list the Section 16a visa steps or the exact German level. Usable from abroad including Africa, but you still find a school and employer yourself and most content is in German.

THAMM Plus: trainees and skilled workers from North Africa

A government recruitment programme that places both trainees (Ausbildung) and skilled workers from North Africa with German employers. Selected candidates get a German course up to B1 and intercultural training in their home country, then help with the visa and entry.

Who it is for: Residents of Egypt, Morocco or Tunisia; the trainee track needs a secondary-school certificate (or equivalent such as the Baccalaureat) and no prior vocational qualification

How to apply: Apply through your national employment service (Morocco ANAPEC, Tunisia ANETI, Egypt Ministry of Foreign Affairs); selection is multi-stage with ZAV. The apply button links to thamm@giz.de.

Includes a genuine FRESH Ausbildung (trainee) track. Open only to residents of Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia (North Africa), not sub-Saharan Africa. Current trainee occupations are technical (electrical, automotive mechatronics, construction); earlier sheets also listed hotel and catering and logistics, so confirm current openings with ZAV. It is the successor to the earlier THAMM project, so confirm current rounds.

NRW school-certificate recognition for nursing training

An official NRW decree (17 June 2024) that automatically treats certain foreign school certificates as equivalent to the German mid-level certificate (Mittlerer Schulabschluss), without an individual review, so you can start a nursing or health-profession Ausbildung. For other countries, schools can request advance recognition.

Who it is for: Applicants from abroad holding a listed school certificate who want to start a nursing or health Ausbildung in NRW; listed countries include Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, India, Iran, Turkey and Ukraine

How to apply: If your school certificate is on the decree list it counts as equivalent automatically; otherwise the Pflegeschule can ask the Bezirksregierung Koeln for advance recognition. Then apply for a training place at an NRW nursing school.

This recognises the SCHOOL certificate, not a foreign nursing qualification, so it supports a FRESH Ausbildung. Africa-relevant: Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are on the list. It only solves the school-certificate step; you still need the Section 16a visa, the German level set by the state (usually B1 to B2) and proof of funds, and it is tied to having your first residence in NRW. The decree can be revoked, so confirm it is current.

Berufsausbildungsbeihilfe (BAB)

What it gives: Monthly non-repayable allowance toward living costs (rent, food, travel, work equipment) during the apprenticeship; amount set individually

Eligibility: Enrolled in a recognised dual Ausbildung; the training site is too far to commute from the parents' home, or you are over 18, married, or have a child and live away from parents. Purely school-based training is excluded. German citizenship is not required.

You can file the application once you hold a German apprenticeship contract, but it pays living costs inside Germany, so it is not cash while you are still in Africa.

BAfoeG for school-based vocational training

What it gives: Monthly needs-based support for living and training costs; for school-based trainees it is typically a full grant, not a loan; amount depends on need and income

Eligibility: Non-EU nationals generally need a qualifying residence status (for example a settlement permit, EU long-term residence, recognised refugee or humanitarian status, or long prior lawful residence). A permit held solely for study, school or training does not by itself qualify.

Not usable from Africa. Non-EU applicants need an established qualifying residence status, and a permit held only for training is excluded.

Aufstiegs-BAfoeG (AFBG)

Amount: Fees supported up to 15,000 EUR: 50 percent is a non-repayable grant, and half of the remaining loan is forgiven on passing (up to about 75 percent covered). Single-parent childcare supplement 150 EUR per month per child under 14.

Eligibility: Requires an existing vocational qualification, a qualifying German residence status (settlement or EU long-term, or a qualifying humanitarian or family permit) and permanent residence in Germany. People who already hold a university degree are excluded.

Not usable from Africa. It needs a qualifying German residence status plus residence in Germany, and funds an advanced step after you already have a trade.

Weiterbildungsstipendium (SBB)

Amount: Up to 9,135 EUR over three years (with a 10 percent personal contribution per course), plus a one-off 250 EUR IT bonus in year one

Eligibility: A completed German recognised Ausbildung with proof of excellence (final result of at least 87 points or grade 1.9 or better, a top-three competition placement, or an employer or school nomination); admission up to age 24 (extensions possible). University graduates cannot apply.

Built around a completed German Ausbildung and applied for via the German chamber that oversaw it, so not a route for someone who has not trained in Germany.