Concept
The Federal Employment Agency is developing the „mein NOW" portal as part of Germany’s National Skills Strategy. The first version has been available online since 1 January 2024.
At present, the continuing education and training landscape is confusing for workers and employers. There are many different sources of information and searching for information is very complicated. It is often difficult to find information that fits a person’s individual needs.
The aim of the portal is to offer a centralised and low-threshold online point of access for information on continuing education and training. „mein NOW“ provides guidance and gives users access to the complex system of continuing education and training in one single digital place.
„mein NOW“ – national online portal for continuing vocational education and training
„mein NOW“ in action: The experience of a worker
Elena works for a small company in the events industry. Her work has become very digital - much like the workplaces of millions of other workers. Since COVID, Elena’s customers have been booking digital or hybrid events: a combination of virtual and physical events. Initially, the organisation of such events was stressful for her. But then she received training. Now she knows what she needs to watch for, so that a live stream runs smoothly, offering participants a great digital event.
Elena found her training on „mein NOW“. She just typed in a few search terms. Immediately, „mein NOW“ guided her to a suitable training course in her region and financial support options.
Elena's journey on „mein NOW“
A glimpse into practice: an example from the perspective of a working person
„mein NOW“ in action: The experience of an employer
Kim is the manager of a care service provider. He has just hired a few new workers. They now need training for the company’s new IT system. It is time-consuming to find suitable training because there are so many different training programmes.
A colleague told Kim about „mein NOW“ - a central portal where you can find most existing continuing education and training programmes in one place.
There, Kim can filter the information on training programmes and look for a programme tailored to his employees. Kim quickly identifies suitable training and forwards the information to his employees. After enrolling the programme, the employees enter it into their „mein NOW“ user profiles and are now well-equipped to work with the new IT system.
Who is „mein NOW“ for?
- People of working age (workers and unemployed persons looking for professional development opportunities)
- Employers (looking for suitable training programmes for their workers), especially small and medium-sized companies
- Continuing education and training providers (who would like to reach more people)
What can I find on „mein NOW“?
- Quick and easy digital access to financial support and career counselling, information on occupations and continuing education and training programmes.
- Help navigating career and skills development opportunities.
- Tailored information and services for companies to meet the training needs of their employees, making their business fit for the future.
- Intuitive navigation and holistic services with individual access and the option of long-term support for users.
What is the current status?
The first version of „mein NOW“ has been live since 1 January 2024. By the end of 2024, further expansion stages of the portal with new functionalities had been gradually released. Since then, the portal is being continuously developed by the BA.