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2 October 2026
There are free and subsidized language support programs for skilled workers and trainees with a migration background in Rhineland-Palatinate. An overview for employers in the skilled trades.
Skilled workers from abroad are welcome in the trades. Many apprentices in the trades also have a migration background. The trades traditionally make an important contribution to integration. However, a frequent problem is the language barrier. This can lead to misunderstandings in the office and on the construction site, or to poor grades in vocational school.
Stefan Gustav is an expert at the Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts and Trades on professional recognition and the integration of foreign skilled workers in the trades. He is frequently asked by businesses about language support programs. Therefore, he has compiled the most important language learning opportunities and funding options for businesses and their employees in Rhineland-Palatinate.
The website of the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees provides information on various digital and free language learning opportunities:
For example, the adult education center's learning portal : Here you can find online German courses at various levels from A1 to B2. These courses are suitable for self-study . All learners are supported by an online tutor who corrects their assignments, provides feedback, offers individual advice, and motivates them.
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The learning portal requires no prior knowledge. It is optimized for use on smartphones and can also be used via an app when there is no internet connection. The menu navigation and user interface have been translated into eighteen languages.
The service is free to use. However, simple dictionaries for topic-oriented vocabulary expansion from the Goethe-Institut or an offer from Austria are also presented.
The BAMF language course is part of the integration course . BAMF stands for Federal Office for Migration and Refugees. The general integration course lasts a total of 600 teaching units, the specialized courses up to 900 teaching units, and the intensive course 400 teaching units. The language course covers important topics from everyday life, including work and career, as well as education and training.
The courses are inexpensive, and upon application, up to 100% of the costs can be reimbursed depending on income. The conditions for participation and reimbursement vary depending on residency status and must be assessed individually.
➡️ All information here.
The professional language courses Vocational language courses are a broad, needs-based range of courses offered by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees to facilitate integration into the labor market. These courses build upon integration courses and equip people with refugee and migrant backgrounds with the necessary language skills for employment. Vocational language courses are offered for all professions.
➡️ More information about vocational language courses can be found here.
One specific offering is the so-called job-related language courses . The aim of these courses is to make language acquisition alongside employment more attractive for employees and companies, and to ensure successful integration into the workplace even with limited German language skills.
Job-related language courses therefore complement the portfolio of vocational language courses with a short-term course type that is flexible and can be precisely tailored to the needs of employees and companies. These courses are also subject to specific prerequisites.
➡️ All necessary information You can find information about job language courses here..
Vocational language courses for trainees are also offered for a specific target group . These courses provide tailored, individualized, and continuous language support throughout the entire apprenticeship. Preparatory courses for apprenticeships are also available.
They help participating trainees close language gaps and acquire key skills for participating in vocational school classes, enabling them to successfully complete their apprenticeships. Vocational language courses for trainees thus contribute to preventing apprenticeship dropouts and increasing completion rates.
Vocational language courses for trainees are funded by the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees and are free of charge for participants.
The training companies contribute by motivating and releasing the trainees – the trainees contribute through their willingness to learn and regular participation.
➡️ All information To the Vocational language courses for trainees are available here. .
Transformation support and further training advice are a project of the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and are intended to support companies and their employees in better coping with the technological changes in the world of work through qualification.
Through personal coaching, companies and their employees are supported in developing their careers independently. This facilitates access to further consulting services, training, and funding opportunities. This also includes language acquisition for people with a migration background. The project is offered nationwide by various providers.
➡️ Information For transformation support, you can find information here..
The Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts' service company is the project sponsor in the districts of Mayen-Koblenz, Cochem, and Ahrweiler, as well as the city of Koblenz. The contact person is Heiko Windberg, phone: +49 261 398-731, email: heiko.windberg@hwk-koblenz.de
The BINGO+ project, offered by Arbeit und Leben Rheinland-Pfalz/Saarland, supports companies and their employees in integrating newcomers into the workplace through needs-based and company-specific language coaching (online or in-person). The program is financially supported by the Rhineland-Palatinate state government. The acronym BINGO stands for "Organizing Workplace Integration Together".
Participation is not free; the company's contribution for the language coaching is thirty euros per hour. The support is designed to last three to six months with one to two sessions per week.
➡️ Further information is available as a PDF.
Source: Stefan Gustav, contact person at the Koblenz Chamber of Skilled Crafts for the recognition of foreign professional qualifications, validation and the Skilled Immigration Act
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