In order to obtain the grant, the company is required to have paid the employer’s unemployment insurance premium for at least 24 months within the 36-month period prior to submitting the application. We look at the employer's previous unemployment insurance record, which does not have to be linked to the worker's previous length of service in the company indicated on the application. The employment contract of the employee (for whom the grant is being applied) must be without a term or remain valid for at least six months after submission of the application.

In order to train employees, employers can choose a training programme that complies with the Adult Education Act or compile a suitable training programme if no such programme is provided on the market. The training programme must comply with the Continuing Education Standard and the participants must receive a certificate or attestation at the end of the programme.

The employer will select the Estonian language training based on their needs. The training provider must have an activity licence for conducting Estonian language in-service training. All licensed training institutions can be found on the webpage of the Language Inspectorate. The learning outcomes of the language training must correspond to the purpose of the learning.

In order to make an informed decision, we recommend that you thoroughly familiarise yourself with the content, duration (volume in hours), teaching methods, schedule and intensity, the teacher(s), whether the training price includes teaching materials and how the level of language proficiency will be verified.

Studying to reach A1 level in Estonian should take at least 100 academic hours.

If you need help, the Integration Foundation will help you find the most suitable Estonian language learning solution for your employees (information can be found under Estonian language learning/Employers/Counselling and support in Estonian language learning).

The training grant reimburses the employer for the training costs (including VAT) and, at the request of the employer, also covers allowance for the hours the employee attended the training in the amount of minimum hourly wage valid at the time of the training allowance decision. We will compensate up to 80% of the total costs, but no more than €2500 per employee.

The training grant is de minimis aid (DMA). If the maximum DMA amount has been reached, the training grant will be paid as a state aid block exemption and in the amount of up to 50%, but no more than €2500 per employee.

A total of up to €2500 in training support is paid to an employer for the training of the same employee over a period of three years across all of the support options (recruitment of employees, changes in the company, development of Estonian language skills and ICT skills). If the employer has received training grants before, the amount per employee may be lower.

All expenses pertaining to training of employees shall be initially paid by the employer. If approved, the training grant is paid on the basis of an expense report (can be submitted via e-töötukassa), which must be presented with copies of the relevant cost statements (invoice and payment order) and the certificate or attestation must be issued to the employee upon the completion of the training programme. The invoice for the training must be issued by the training institution to the employer. The invoice must include the name of the training course, training period (from date to date), total volume of training in academic hours and the first and last name(s) of the participant(s). Invoice requests should be issued to the training institution by the employer.

The training grant is paid to the employer if documents certifying the training costs have been submitted to the Unemployment Insurance Fund within six months of the end of the training at the latest.

No training grant is allotted if:

1) the employer or trainer has a warning of deletion from the Commercial Register or is the subject of winding-up or bankruptcy proceedings;

2) the employer or the trainer has committed a material breach of an administrative or procurement contract concluded with the Unemployment Insurance Fund or of the principles of cooperation established by the Unemployment Insurance Fund for the training card;

3) the employer has not submitted annual accounts to the Business Register, the deadline for submission of which has expired; or

4) the employer has a tax debt totalling €100 or more and is not in arrears.

The Unemployment Insurance Fund has the right to ask for additional documents and explanations and to carry out on-the-spot checks.

If you have any questions, please contact koolitustoetus@tootukassa.ee.

Useful links

• Test your Estonian language skills
• Video Vali koolitus targalt!
• Language Board
• The Integration Foundation
• Estonian language proficiency examinations