Free participation

You can ask BMZ to fund your participation in the Skills4Abroad programme if you meet the following criteria:

You are a German international cooperation expert or manager and work

• in the context of German development/international cooperation,
• in a developing or emerging country on the DAC country list (or under a regional approach with a focus on a country on the DAC country list),
• for at least one year (or as an intermittent expert based abroad for at least one year, but with business trips of up to 6 months a year to Germany).

Accompanying partners (MAP) can also attend most of the courses financed by the BMZ provided that the time spent abroad ads up to one year. In consultation with the Registration & Support team and the trainer, youths from the age of 14 can take part in the country analysis and in language training and from the age of 16 in basic safety & security training.

The following institutions are eligible to take part in our programme:

• German federal ministries (especially BMZ and the Federal Foreign Office) and their subordinate units or departments;
• German development cooperation implementing organisations: the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB), the Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and consulting firms engaged by KfW or GIZ;
• recognised development services and political foundations;
• non-governmental organisations and universities that receive a grant from BMZ or are involved in a BMZ-funded project.

If you do not meet these conditions, then you can find information on fee-based participation here: fee-based participation.

Employees of sending organisations and accompanying family members should be registered through their organisation’s HR department.

GIZ staff and accompanying family members will find further information on the GIZ social intranet.

Our colleagues Uli Wölfle and Anja Knieps will be happy to provide you with personal advice on our range of courses and answer any questions you may have.

Registration & Support 

T +49(0)228 / 4460-2020 / -2055
E skills4abroad@giz.de

You will need to register no later than 20 days before the course begins. Please ensure that we receive your application as soon as possible if you wish us to make childcare arrangements, especially in the case of children under a year old.

Skills4Abroad is free of charge for German international cooperation experts and managers who meet the BMZ funded participation requirements under the above mentioned conditions. Participants starting their assignment abroad after 15.07.2023 can take part in trainings free of charge during the period of 6 months before and up to 24 months after their departure. For colleagues who left the country before 15.07.2023, the previous period of 6 months before and 12 months after departure applies.

The BMZ financed Skills4Abroad programme comprises up to forty learning days per person. Additional course participation is possible, however must be paid for by the participant. The right to participate is renewed with every additional new posting abroad.

Here at Campus Kottenforst, you will be learning, living and relaxing side by side with others working in the field of international cooperation. As well as over 60 guest rooms in the main building, the campus has seven large apartments for families. We have also partnered with nearby hotels to ensure that accommodation is available at busier times. All course participants can use the campus restaurant, which offers a variety of dishes from all over the world. Click here for more information about accommodation.

BMZ-funded participants are entitled to free accommodation with full board.

If you have any questions about accommodation or meals, please contact the event management team at Campus Kottenforst. You will receive details of your accommodation shortly before you are due to arrive.

Bonn-Röttgen Event Management Team
Telefon: +49 228-4460 2000
E-Mail: tagungsmanagement.kottenforst@giz.de

To make things easier for you and your family, we can also arrange suitable childcare while you attend your trainings. Our on-site childcare facilities are open to children between the ages of one and twelve who will also be relocating to the country of assignment. Qualified staff will organise age-appropriate learning and play activities, while a nanny looks after the youngest children under the age of one.

On-site childcare places are limited in number. If places are no longer available during your stay, you may be able to claim free accommodation and board for an additional person to care for your child(ren). We can also send you information about other local childcare providers.

You can find further information here.

Have you found that you still need training after leaving the country? As part of the BMZ
funded departure preparation, you can still book our courses free of charge for up to
twelve months after departure.

Would you like to discuss your experiences abroad with your trainer after the training? You can arrange so-called "practice-oriented consultation" with your trainer for the majority of our courses. Here you can reflect on individual training-related cases or get ideas for personal challenges. You can book up to three one-hour consultations via the Online Campus.

Your certificates are available digitally on learning.giz.de or in the Online Campus.

Cancellations incur no cost up to six days before the start of the course. From five calendar days before the start of the course, the Academy will send the sending organisation an invoice if costs were incurred due to short notice cancellation or non appearance of a participant. This applies mainly to courses that were organised solely for one participant (such as one to one language trainings and country analysis courses ). For BMZ financed course attendances, the costs invoiced will be limited to the trainer’s cancellation fee as well as cancellation fees for the training rooms and guest rooms.