Education vouchers now available for people over 65

From the 1st March, education vouchers will also be available to Zug residents over the age of 65, according to a recent statement from the canton of Zug.
 

The canton is thereby implementing a decision by the cantonal council (Kantonsrat), which supported a corresponding proposal to promote the independence and social participation of older people.

With education vouchers (Bildungsgutschein) worth CHF 500, Zug residents can attend courses to strengthen their basic skills in reading, writing, arithmetic, or in the use of digital technologies.

Around 600 education vouchers have already been provided on the course platform www.einfach-besser.ch/zug since the introduction of the offer – two-thirds of them for courses on using computers.

In its response to the postulate, the State Council states that these skills are not tied to a specific stage of life or occupation, but actually  form the basis for lifelong learning and active participation in social life.

Extending the offer to people over the age of 65 thereby also makes an important contribution to the implementation of the cantonal strategy with regard to aging (Altersstrategie).

The education voucher is available to anyone who:

• lives in the canton of Zug
• is aged 18 – 65 and wants to improve their reading, writing, arithmetic, or computer/smartphone skills
• is German-speaking or can communicate well in German
• is not currently in vocational training or secondary school (except for vocational qualifications for adults)
• has not yet redeemed a voucher or have only redeemed one voucher in the current calendar year:

Two vouchers can be redeemed per calendar year.

For those with German as a second language:
Foreign-language speakers who want to learn German can find discounted offers at Pro Arbeit, in their municipality, or at the Loreto.
People with a language level of B1 or higher who are preparing for an apprenticeship or further training can attend I-B-A-20+*.

* (I-B-A | I-B-A-20+ (Integration bridging offer) is intended for young people and adults with deficits in German who are on their way to training and choosing a career.)

For people aged 65+:
Pro Senectute Zug offers a free course on using computers for residents of Zug.
The Zug Library (Bibliothek Zug) regularly holds ‘DigiFit’ events.
 

Note:
In order for the voucher to be valid, course participants must attend at least 60% of the course. If less than 60% of the course is attended, course participants will have to pay for the course themselves.

Residence status does not affect eligibility for education vouchers.

For more information (mainly in German):
Course platform: www.einfach-besser.ch/zug
Pro-Arbeit: http://proarbeit-zug.ch/kurse/deutschkurse
Municipality (in English): https://www.fmzug.ch/en/learn-german/german-in-the-community-and-pro-arbeit
Loreto: https://loreto-zug.ch/kurse?filter=Sprachkurse?filter=Sprachkurse
Digi-Fit (in English): https://www.bibliothekzug.ch/angebote
Integration Bridging offer (in English):  https://zg.ch/en/bildung/schulen/brueckenangebote/i-b-a-integrations-bruecken-angebot