Collectively Bargained Part-Time Education Program in the Metal Industry Exercise your collective bargaining right to part-time educational leave

Since last spring, our members at companies in the metal and electrical industries covered by collective bargaining agreements have had the right to be granted time off from work for their personal education and continuing education.

This can be done part-time, alongside work, or as a leave of absence lasting up to seven years. And not only when the employer deems the training necessary, but now also at the employee’s personal request—with the right to return: The employer must continue to employ the employee in a position of at least equal status after their continuing education. We secured this so-called “part-time training under collective bargaining agreements” in the spring of 2015 in the education and training collective bargaining agreements for the metal industry.

Education Account: Savings or Credit Available

The catch: If the training isn’t a qualification required by the employer for operational reasons, but rather your personal professional development, then you generally have to provide the money and time for it yourself. To this end, the collective bargaining agreements offer the option of setting up an education account before the training begins, into which you can save time and money for your future training—and even take out a loan. The education account is designed to ensure that you continue to receive as much of your salary as possible on a regular basis during your continuing education.

You can deposit working hours—such as overtime—or portions of your vacation pay and Christmas bonus into the education account. You can save up to 152 hours per year this way. In addition, you can also take out a loan against your education account: During your training, you can go up to 10 percent into the red and work off the hours only after your training is complete. Be sure to seek advice from your works council or your local IG Metall chapter.

Take Advantage of Employer or Government Funding

By the way, you also have the right to discuss your continuing education with your employer once a year during a qualification review and to make an individualized plan. You should involve your works council in this as well. After all, it may be a qualification that also benefits your company. In that case, your employer will contribute at least a portion of the costs.

Even if it’s exclusively for your personal professional development, some employers voluntarily contribute to the costs. In an increasing number of companies, the works council has also negotiated funding for part-time education, which is co-financed from the pool set aside for collective-agreement-based partial retirement. Our collective bargaining agreements on education provide for this option.

Sign a training agreement

In addition, you can take advantage of a number of public funding programs. For example, the “Continuing Education for Low-Skilled and Older Employees in Companies” (WeGebAU) program, under which the employment agency contributes 50 to 100 percent of your salary.

You should set out all the key points regarding your continuing education, leave of absence, funding, and return to work in a training agreement . Our members are entitled to this under the education and collective bargaining agreements. Your works council should also be involved in these discussions.