Training funding for SMEs in Poland is public money covering part of the cost of training staff and owners. The statutory national scheme is the National Training Fund (KFS), paid out by the district head (starosta) through the local labour office. Alongside it sits PARP’s register of providers, known as the Development Services Database (BUR).
Quick Overview
What you will learn:
- Who can receive KFS money and which costs it covers
- The funding rates and annual caps under the current Act
- How calls for applications work at the district labour office and what an application must contain
- What the Development Services Database is and why your training provider has to be listed in it
Who this article is for:
- Owners and boards of small and medium-sized companies
- People responsible for HR and training
- Sole traders
Reading time: 8 minutes
The National Training Fund: Who Qualifies and for What
The rules for the KFS are set by the Act of 20 March 2025 on the labour market and employment services (api.sejm.gov.pl), in force since 1 June 2025. Article 125 says the money is meant to support lifelong learning for working people, so that they keep their jobs and their skills keep pace with a changing economy.
Who can apply. Any entity that has paid contributions to the Labour Fund (Fundusz Pracy) for at least 6 months before applying, or is exempt from them by law. Exclusions include, among others, businesses with tax or social security arrears and those in liquidation or bankruptcy proceedings.
Whose training. Employees, employers, self-employed people and people working under civil-law contracts.
Which costs. The Act (api.sejm.gov.pl) lists fees paid to the training provider, to bodies that test or certify skills, for postgraduate studies, for any required medical and psychological examinations, and for accident insurance during the course.
What it will not pay for. Training already funded from other public sources, training the employer is legally required to provide anyway, and anything that started before the funding agreement was signed.
How Much KFS Funding You Can Get
Under Article 126 of the Act (api.sejm.gov.pl), the district head can cover up to 70% of training costs, capped at 200% of the average wage for that year per participant. A business with no employees, or with no more than 9 full-time equivalents, can receive up to 90%, with the same cap per participant. The applicant pays the rest as its own contribution.
The Act also caps the annual total per applicant (api.sejm.gov.pl), based on full-time equivalents on the day of the application: 4 times the average wage with no staff or up to 9 FTEs, 8 times above 9 and up to 49 FTEs, 12 times above 49 and up to 249 FTEs, and 14 times above 249 FTEs.
These bands are based on headcount alone. The EU definition of an SME in Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC (eur-lex.europa.eu) also has financial ceilings: a small enterprise employs fewer than 50 people and has a turnover or balance sheet of no more than EUR 10 million. If you come across a description quoting other rates, check whether it refers to the rules in force before 1 June 2025, when the current Act took effect (api.sejm.gov.pl).
How Calls and Applications Work
The KFS Regulation (api.sejm.gov.pl) requires the director of the district labour office to announce each call on the office website, stating the budget, that year’s priorities, the deadlines and the selection criteria. The announcement must go up at least 10 working days before the call opens, and the call must stay open for at least 5 working days. Under Article 126(4) of the Act, applications are filed online, through an individual account, with the office covering the applicant’s registered seat or place of business.
The application has to justify the training need against the year’s priorities and local or regional labour-market needs, explain the choice of provider and compare its price with similar offers. The district head weighs exactly these three points: fit with the priorities, fit with labour-market needs and cost against the market. Priorities are set every year, and money can go to applications outside them only once the priority applications have been dealt with.
Obligations after signing (api.sejm.gov.pl):
- keep the participant employed for at least 3 months after the training ends, with exceptions listed in the Act;
- do not buy the service from a provider linked to you through ownership or personal ties;
- repay the funds if a participant fails to start or finish the course without good reason.
The Development Services Database and Its Role
“Development Services Database” is the everyday name for the register of providers of advisory and training services delivered to a proper standard, which the law calls development services; the statute itself just says “the register”. It is kept by the Polish Agency for Enterprise Development (PARP) under Article 6(1)(8) of the Act on PARP (api.sejm.gov.pl), as an online system. To be listed, a provider must meet the statutory conditions, among them adequate technical, financial and staff capacity and the quality of its services.
For a business using the KFS, the register matters in practice. Article 128(2) of the labour market Act (api.sejm.gov.pl) requires any institution delivering KFS-funded training to be listed in it, and the application has to state that it is. Under the Act on PARP, the register’s system also holds the data used to account for public money spent on development services. Funding rates in other programmes, however, come from the rules of each call rather than from statute, so read those before you plan.
Where a Small Business Should Start
- Map your needs. Decide who should learn what and how it connects to their work. Justifying the need is a mandatory part of the application.
- Watch your local office. Follow calls on your district labour office website and check your plan against that year’s priorities.
- Choose a listed provider. Confirm the provider’s BUR entry and prepare a comparison with other offers.
- Plan your own contribution and timing. Training can start only after the agreement is signed.
Read Also
- Training as an Employee Retention Tool — how to tell whether development pays off
- Planning an annual company training budget — fitting funding calls into the annual plan
- IT Training ROI: How to Calculate and Present It — justifying the spend to the board
Build Your Skills
Two courses take the topic further: Business case — creation and presentation and Motivational appraisal interview - feedback and employee development. The first teaches you to justify spending with a cost-benefit analysis; the second, to identify employees’ development needs and plan the next steps. Get in touch and we will tailor the scope to your organisation.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What kind of training can the KFS pay for?
The Act (api.sejm.gov.pl) allows funding for lifelong learning, including courses, exams, postgraduate studies and the certification of skills. Courses must be delivered by an institution listed in the Development Services Database. The district head checks the fit with that year’s priorities and with labour-market needs.
What is the Development Services Database (BUR)?
It is a register, kept by PARP, of entities that provide advisory and training services to a proper standard. Its legal basis is the Act on PARP (api.sejm.gov.pl). It matters for the KFS because funded courses must be run by a listed institution.
Can a micro-business or a sole trader get training funding?
Yes, provided they meet the general condition in Article 125(8) of the labour market Act (api.sejm.gov.pl): having paid Labour Fund contributions for at least 6 months before applying, or being exempt from them by law. The Act covers training for self-employed people. A business with no employees, or with no more than 9 full-time equivalents, can receive up to 90% of the costs, within an annual cap of 4 times the average wage.
How do you apply for funding to train your staff?
File an online application with your district labour office while a call announced on its website is open. The application justifies the training need and the choice of provider. If it is approved, the district head signs an agreement with you, and the training can start only after that.