The Department for Manpower Training and Development in the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor offers vocational training and retraining courses in a wide range of occupations.
The Employment Service refers unskilled workers and workers with skills not in demand to various vocational training courses, in order to let them acquire a new profession and increase their occupational options.
Amount of unemployment benefit for a vocational training participant
An unemployed person participating in a vocational training course will be paid an unemployment benefit at full rate, from which the payments given to him in the course are deducted.
Unemployment benefit entitlement period for a vocational training participant
- A person entitled to unemployment benefit who participates in vocational training is entitled to unemployment benefit in the period of his training for a period that may not exceed the number of maximum unemployment days to which he is entitled.
- A person entitled to unemployment benefit who participates in vocational training, and who has under 12 years of schooling, is entitled to unemployment benefit in the period of his training also for a period that exceeds the number of maximum unemployment days to which he is entitled, but for no longer than 138 days.
Vocational training for women aged 57-67
Women born from 1.1.1960 onwards, will be entitled as of January 2022 to receive unemployment benefits for 300 days at most (rather than the 175 days granted thus far). Here is some information about vocational training for those women:
Vocational training for women aged 57-60
- Those participating to vocational training - will receive unemployment benefit at 100%.
- Those refusing to participate to vocational training during first 175 days - their right to unemployment will be suspended for 90 days + 30 days will be deducted from their entitled days (i.e. entitled to 270 days).
- Those refusing to participate to vocational training as of day 176 - their entitlement to unemployment benefit will be canceled for their remaining days.
Vocational training for women aged 60-67
- Those participating to vocational training - will receive unemployment benefits at 100%.
- Those refusing to participate to vocational training - will keep receiving unemployment benefits as usual.