Hanover Region Continuing Education Award
As part of the Skilled Workers Alliance and in cooperation with the Hanover Employment Agency, the Hanover Region Job Center, the Hanover Chamber of Industry and Commerce, and the Hanover Chamber of Crafts, the Hanover Region, Economic and Employment Promotion, is announcing the "Partial Qualification" innovation competition for 2026. The call is open to all continuing education providers, with prize money of €10,000 awaiting the winners.
What is the aim of the competition?
The innovation competition aims to increase the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Hannover region and their employees in partial qualifications.
The competition is looking for innovative, vocational qualification-oriented TQ concepts that can be implemented for several professions in cross-institutional cooperation:
- IHK: Office administrators, retail salespersons, warehouse logistics specialists, machine and plant operators, electronics technicians – industrial engineering and industrial electricians
- HWK: Electronics technicians specializing in energy and building technology, plant mechanics for sanitary, heating, and air conditioning technology
The aim is not to develop new partial qualification modules, but to implement the concepts in accordance with IHK ( https://chance-tq.de/tq-berufe/) and HWK standards ( https://tqhw.de/) .
Important factors for the assessment of the overall concept include , above all, the possibility of flexible implementation (in terms of time and methodology), the integration of language support where necessary, and additional elements such as support during the in-company phase.
The overall concept should also include a preliminary basic course for preparation. The target group is both unemployed and employed people. The courses are scheduled to start in August/September 2026 (as a guide for companies and participants).
Criteria for participation in the competition
- Only consortia of at least two educational institutions that are not commercially affiliated with each other may apply for the competition.
- At least one of the partners must have its headquarters in the Hanover region.
- The TQ modules mustbe AZAV-certifiable or, ideally, already certified, as well as
- the above-mentionedstandards of the chambers.
Legal recourse is excluded
Prize money
The Hanover Region, Economic and Employment Promotion, is providingprize money of EUR 10,000. This is to be used to have the measure certified, if necessary. If the certification costs are lower than expected, the remaining funds can be used for marketing purposes for the new measure. A simple proof of use must be provided. The winners will be honored in a public ceremony.
Selection
The submitted concepts will be evaluated by a jury consisting of members of the Hannover Region and the competition's cooperation partners. The jury reserves the right to request a presentation date for the final evaluation. The winners will then be announced.
Applications
Applications can be submitted until January 31, 2026 . To apply, please use the application form below and send your application by email to regiolab@region-hannover.de . Additional materials may be attached.
Funding
Application form
Event for your questions
On December 1, 2025, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. , an FAQ session on the competition process will take place online at the following link.
Contact
Team RegioLab
Hanover Region
Department of Economic and Employment Promotion
