The 160h qualification must be started no later than six months after the start of the activity and completed no later than 24 months after the start of the activity. In individual cases, the State Youth Welfare Office may extend this period once by six months.

This applies specifically to:

• § 4 Paragraph 2 PersVO: Persons with a first state examination or Master's degree for the teaching profession at German elementary school who are employed as a socio-educational specialist. Please note: If a group leader is to be taken on, the 160h qualification must be completed.
• § 9 PersVO: Persons with pedagogical training who are employed as an additional specialist (Section 9 (1) PersVO) or as a supplementary employee (Section 9 (2) PersVO) via an exemption regulation.
• Section 11 (1): Persons who have successfully completed the theoretical examination part of their training to become an educator, but have not subsequently completed a professional internship with a practical examination, and who are employed on specialist hours. Please note: Does not apply to persons who have definitively failed the professional internship.
• Section 11 (2): Persons who have completed training or a degree in the following subjects a degree in the subjects of speech therapy, motor therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, drama education, cultural education, music education, religious education, sports education, art education, media education, psychology or educational science who are employed on specialist hours.

In addition, profile-relevant staff must also complete the 160-hour qualification in accordance with Section 14 PersVO. However, 80 hours of this, including the parts that take into account the requirements for child protection and risk prevention, must have already been completed before starting work. These 80 hours should be issued by the training provider as an interim certificate.

If a 160 qualification has already been certified before the last revision of the Personnel Ordinance, this certification also applies automatically to any new employment opportunities for which a 160 qualification is required.

The supreme state youth authority offers further education providers the opportunity to have their qualification measures recognized in accordance with the current Orientierungsrahmen für die 160-Stunden-Qualifizierung. After a successful examination, the provider is included in the official list of recognized training providers.

Requirements for inclusion

In order to be listed as a training provider, you must submit a meaningful concept that meets the requirements of the Personnel Ordinance and the Orientierungsrahmens. The procedure is regulated as follows:

1. Concept creation
Create a qualification concept that reflects all content-related and organizational requirements of the orientation framework. Particular consideration should be given to:

• The basis of the training: What is the training certified for (description of the objective and target group)
• Content and learning objectives of all modules (e.g. child protection, development, communication, law)
• Didactics and methodology of the training (e.g. implementation formats, theory-per-formances, etc.). E.g. implementation formats, theory-practice transfer)
• Comprehensible structure (160 hours in total), consideration of the time requirements for each module
• Qualification of teachers (submission of an evaluation concept, etc.) Possibility of further training for teaching staff)
• Evaluation and quality assurance of the measure
• Framework conditions such as group size and awarding of certificates

2. Own examination based on the Checklist.

3. Digital submission
Please send your complete concept exclusively in PDF format to FP-223[at]mkjfgfi.nrw.de (FP-223[at]mkjfgfi[dot]nrw[dot]de).

4. Review by the supreme state youth authority
Your concept will be reviewed individually by the responsible department. If necessary, you will receive feedback with instructions for revision.

5. Inclusion in the official list of providers
As soon as your concept meets all requirements, you will be officially listed as a provider.
A cooperation agreement or a separate application is not required.

6. Updating your data
Keep the data in the list up to date; in the event of changes, e.g. to your address, please send an email to FP-223[at]mkjfgfi.nrw.de (FP-223[at]mkjfgfi[dot]nrw[dot]de).

Note on the certification procedure
The certification procedure is comprehensively described on this page so that it can generally be completed without further assistance. Please read all the information carefully.

Should you still have any questions that cannot be answered by the available information, please do not hesitate to contact us (FP-223[at]mkjfgfi.nrw.de (FP-223[at]mkjfgfi[dot]nrw[dot]de)).

AZAV certification

In addition to certification by the MKJFGFI, AZAV certification is also strongly recommended. AZAV certification is not obligatory, but enables the providers of childcare facilities to receive funding from the Employment Agency for any costs incurred for further training and for training-related downtime.

AZAV certification can also be obtained retrospectively; the MKJFGFI is not involved in this process. Please inform us if the measure has been AZAV-certified so that this can be noted in the list of providers of the 160h qualification in accordance with Section 3 (2) PersVO.

Information on AZAV certification