Czech labour office's 50,000 CZK retraining subsidy sees falling interest

The Czech labour office (Úřad práce) will fund approved retraining courses up to 50,000 CZK per person starting in 2026. Payments are made directly to the education provider, and both unemployed job‑seekers and employed workers who are registered as looking for work can apply. Requests are evaluated by a specialist commission for relevance to the applicant’s future employment prospects.

Applications for the scheme have dropped sharply this year after the eligibility rules were tightened. While the programme previously attracted tens of thousands of applicants annually, only a few thousand have been recorded so far. Interest now focuses on digital competencies, CNC machining and electrotechnical training. New summer programmes, such as the DIGIkurzy project, aim to boost digital skills with funding up to 35,000 CZK for individuals and up to 38,000 CZK for employers.