How high is the funding exactly?

Companies with fewer than 10 employees receive up to 100% of training costs, SMEs up to 249 employees up to 50%, larger companies up to 25% or 20%. In addition, there is a wage subsidy of up to 75% during the training.

How much effort is the application?

For you: minimal. We check eligibility, prepare all documents and coordinate the application with the Federal Employment Agency. You sign – we take care of the rest.

Does my company have to pre-finance?

No. The funding flows directly; no advance payment by your company is required.

How long does approval take?

Usually a few weeks, depending on the responsible employment agency. Our recommendation: book the intro call early so your training starts without delay.

Can the training run alongside the job?

Yes. The subsidized programs run part-time over 8 months – with live online sessions, a digital learning platform and hands-on projects embedded in your daily work.

Certificate course · AZAV · Qualifizierungschancengesetz

Subsidized AI Training

Government-funded through the Qualifizierungschancengesetz. Work-integrated, practical, and certified.

Up to 100% training costs + 75% wage reimbursement

Live online + project work on your own processes

8 months, part-time

AI Project Coordinator certificate

„A bad process is still a bad process with AI.“

Why eight months – and not one week?

Most AI trainings are simply too short. A one-week course shows tools – it doesn't enable anyone to work independently afterwards. For that, you have to walk the path from problem to integrated solution at least once in full. Better: several times, with different cases.

That is exactly what happens in eight months: your staff implement 2 to 4 real use cases from their own work environment. The first case is closely guided, in the second they recognise the patterns, from the third on they work largely independently – and that is the goal: internal AI consultants who drive the topic forward on their own.

Case 1 – the guided run

A manageable process, closely supported. This is where the approach is learned: understand, optimise, test, scale.

Case 2 – the transfer

A different process, different scope, different people. The method is applied again – with less guidance.

Cases 3 and 4 – independence

Larger scope, different system environment, more stakeholders. Participants lead, trainers are sparring partners.

The guiding idea: understand, apply, integrate

All content serves three goals – in exactly this order, because it follows the natural path of an AI initiative.

Understand

Understand AI as a technology, place it in company strategy and know the regulatory framework – from GDPR to the EU AI Act.

Apply

Discover areas of application in your own company, assess feasibility and risks and implement AI use cases in practice.

Integrate

Assess the impact on the organisation, integrate solutions into the existing process and system landscape and shape the rollout.

The seven modules

Building on each other: the first four lay the foundation, the last three bring the solution into the organisation. Two topics deliberately run through all modules – skill building and cultural change.

Module 1

Introduction to AI

A common language and a realistic picture: what AI can do, what it can't – and how to tell.

Predictive and generative AI, how language models work and why coherence is not plausibility. Six AI goal directions (faster, cheaper, better, safer, new, more revenue) and the four roles of AI in a business process. First hands-on tasks with agents and prompting – and the inventory: which AI use cases already exist in your company?

What your staff take away: Understand the strengths and weaknesses of AI models in a business context and identify case-specific value.

Module 2

Governance, ethics & compliance

GDPR, EU AI Act and internal guidelines – before anything is built.

Data protection, copyright, liability and the EU AI Act through case studies. Responsible AI: accountability, transparency, fairness, reliability. Concrete tools along the AI lifecycle: maturity assessment, impact assessment, data and model management – applied directly to the first own use case.

What your staff take away: Assess legal conditions, define compliance requirements and help shape governance structures.

Module 3

Identify & evaluate use cases

Not every idea is worth it. Find, describe, evaluate and prioritise use cases.

The focus of the first half of the course: lean process analysis, stakeholder workshops and interviews, trend analyses. Complete use-case descriptions with template and Value Proposition Canvas, evaluation and risk matrix – and finally a prioritised AI project portfolio with elevator pitch.

What your staff take away: Analyse processes for AI potential, run workshops and systematically evaluate and bundle use cases.

Module 4

Technological implementation

Prompting, agents, StepGPT and n8n: the tools with which solutions are actually built.

Map the AI market – proprietary vs. open source, cloud vs. on-premise. From business requirements to solution selection with evaluation matrix and specifications. Define success metrics, identify critical assumptions, plan proof of concept and business case.

What your staff take away: Mediate between business and IT, evaluate technical proposals and plan and steer AI implementations.

Module 5

Develop & test prototypes

Start small, measure, learn – check on the prototype whether AI really delivers.

Plan test environment, sampling and evaluation metrics. Prompt engineering on your own case in sandbox and no-code platform, structured with design thinking and Scrum elements. Honest evaluation: areas of use, limits, data requirements – and a solid recommendation: roll out, improve or deliberately discard.

What your staff take away: Design and build AI prototypes, devise test strategies, evaluate and optimise prompts.

Module 6

Integration into IT infrastructure

A solution that doesn't fit the system landscape remains a toy. This is where the prototype becomes daily practice.

Integration strategies: interfaces and APIs, process redesign, low-code automation with n8n as the connecting tool. The AI architecture puzzle of data sources, models, workflows and output channels. Operations and scaling with AIOps: monitoring, results analysis, human feedback loops. Large share of guided implementation on your own case.

What your staff take away: Develop scaling strategies, integrate AI systems into existing IT and monitor and steer their performance.

Module 7

Organisational development & change management

Technology alone changes nothing. Bring colleagues along and anchor the change in the organisation.

Roles and responsibilities with stakeholder map and 7S model. Plan the rollout as a change initiative: participation, training, resources – with change canvas, 8-step model and hopes-and-fears template. Institutionalise AI competence: skill profiles, cross-departmental processes, operational excellence in teams.

What your staff take away: Design organisational structures for successful AI use, develop change strategies and build lasting AI competence.

The approach: understand, optimise, test, scale

The same four-step approach applies to every initiative in the course – and later in the company – taken from lean process consulting and extended by the AI perspective.

Understand

How does the process really run today – not how the manual says? Capture information flow and data, spot data-protection questions early.

Optimise

Streamline first, then improve: remove duplicate work, close media breaks. Often part of the problem needs no technology at all.

Test

Only now comes the technology: a small, honest prototype in n8n or StepGPT. Does it save time? Is the quality right? A test may also fail.

Scale

Only roll out what has proven itself – cleanly integrated, introduced with colleagues, with clear responsibilities for operation and maintenance.

A training day

Part-time, live online, around 4 hours per course day – daily business stays on track and what is learned flows back into work the same day.

Lecture · 2 hrs

Live input on methods, tools and AI – with room for questions and discussion instead of passive listening.

Project work · 2 hrs

Apply what was heard directly – to a process from your own company. Partly in the group, partly in self-study.

Presentation

Present interim results in the group. Explaining is the hardest test of understanding – and feedback reveals blind spots.

Trainers available

During project time the trainers can be reached via chat or call. Nobody stays stuck for long.

Your trainers: Konstantin Graf and Frank Kottler – both consultants and trainers with many years of experience in technology and strategy consulting, AI integration and continuing education.

The toolbox – and the tech stack behind it

Deliberately few tools, used consistently throughout. Together they cover the whole path from idea to automation.

StepGPT

Chainstep's own LibreChat instance: an AI chat with agents in a privacy-friendly environment. In it your staff work with the current models from Claude, Gemini and ChatGPT – without private accounts at arbitrary providers.

Daily AI work from day 1: prompting, agents, prompts and skills from the course library.

n8n

Automation platform: assemble workflows visually from building blocks and embed AI steps in real processes.

The most important tool in project work – automate processes, build prototypes, integrate.

Microsoft Teams & OneDrive

The learning space and shared storage – systems your company most likely already uses.

Live sessions, breakout rooms, questions, materials and results in one place.

Microsoft Copilot Studio

When needed: build assistants and agents directly in your Microsoft 365 environment.

When your solutions are meant to live in the existing Microsoft world.

Why this selection?

Data protection: with StepGPT and n8n, work happens in a controlled environment instead of private accounts.
Transferability: LibreChat and n8n stand for whole classes of tools. Concepts are learned, not click paths – configuring agents, building workflows, structuring prompts works the same in other tools.
Realism: the project is created in the environment it can later live in.

Key facts

Format: Live online, part-time over 8 months
Daily effort: Approx. 4 hours: 2 hrs lecture + 2 hrs guided implementation and project work
Group: 12 participants from different companies – or as an exclusive company course
Practical projects: 2–4 use cases from your own work environment
Assessments: Weekly (quizzes, case studies, presentations, project reflections) and final presentation of the practical projects
Prerequisites: None required – basic AI knowledge and IT experience are helpful, nothing more
Qualification: AI Project Coordinator certificate (AZAV-certified provider)
Funding: Up to 100% of course costs and up to 75% wage subsidy (Qualifizierungschancengesetz)

How participation works

The paperwork is essentially handled by the employer – and we guide them through it.

1
Intro call
Together we clarify which processes have the greatest potential and which funding rate is realistic.
2
Funding application
We support the application – from the provider certificate to coordination with the employment agency.
3
Course start
The course invitation comes with dates, tool access and the checklist. Most important preparation: bring a good first process candidate.

Up to 100% subsidized

How much funding does your company get?

The Qualifizierungschancengesetz (§ 82 SGB III, as of 1 April 2024) subsidizes training – the rate depends on company size and two additional factors. Check it in 10 seconds.

How many employees does your company have?

Works agreement or collective agreement on training in place+ 5 percentage points on the tiered ratesParticipants aged 45+ or with a severe disabilityFor 50–499 employees: course costs up to 100%

Course costs coveredup to 50%

Wage subsidy during trainingup to 50%

With 50 to 499 employees, 50% of course costs and a 50% wage subsidy are covered. For participants aged 45+ or with a severe disability, course costs rise to 100%.

Check my funding

Special case: for qualification-oriented training of employees without vocational qualification (§ 81 (2) SGB III), 100% of course costs and up to 100% wage subsidy are covered regardless of company size.

Non-binding initial assessment under § 82 SGB III (Qualifizierungschancengesetz, as of 1 April 2024). An approved measure and an approved provider (AZAV) are required – Chainstep is AZAV-certified. The actual rate depends on the individual case and is agreed with the employment agency; we guide you through the whole application process.

Frequently asked questions about funding

Employees subject to social insurance in companies of any size – from small workshops to corporations. The funding rate depends on company size: the smaller the company, the higher the rate.

Ready for AI?

Let’s explore how AI can move your business forward in a free consultation.

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