For my third blog entry I am taking a closer look into the status quo situation regarding apprenticeships in Austria.
Apprenticeship training procedure
In Austria, apprenticeships are strucutres as a “dual system”. The training takes place in the company and in a vocationals school. For around 80 % the training is spend at the company and 20 % taking place at the vocational school. At the vocational school appretices get theoretical skills thaught, which are needed to pass the apprenticeship. The subjects depend on the chosen industry. The aim of training at vocational schools is to supplement the technical training in the company, to improve the general education of the trainees and to acquire foreign language skills tailored to the training occupation.
The vocational schools can be divided in to three types:
- All year-round: apprentices attend classes at least once a weak for the whole year
- Course-based: apprentices attend a course over a specific period of time
- Seasonal: Training is delivered in blocks at a certain time of the year. [1]
In Austria, apprenticeships are the most common type of primary vocational training. It offers the opportunity to obtain various qualifications in addition to become a skilled worker. For instance, an apprenticeship can be finished concurrent with the “Matura” or new skills can be aquired through a variety of alternative training programs. [2]
Facts and figures
In 2021, 107,593 teenagers were undergoing an apprenticeship. Compared to 2011, there were 128,082 people in apprenticeship training. [3]In recent years, a rapid decrease in apprentices has been recorded. The reasons for this are that the number of young people aged 15-19 is steadily decreasing and the number of apprenticeship companies is decreasing. Many young people decide to pursue further education because of the wide range of schools being offered. In 1980, 70% of young people started an apprenticeship and in 2018 only 40%.
Most apprentices are trained in the commerce and trade sectors, followed by industry and trade. In 2021, around 107,500 apprentices were undergoing training in around 29,000 companies. Most apprentices are in Upper Austria (20,9%), followed by Vienna (16,1%), Lower Austria (15,9%) and Styria (14.2%).
Among girls, the most popular apprenticeships are: retail trade, office clerk and hairdresser/wigmaker. This concerns 43.3% of all female apprentices in Austria. It is therefore worthwhile for every young person to also think about alternative apprenticeship occupations in order to increase their chances of finding permanent employment. 35.1 % of all boys choose modular apprenticeships in metal technology, electrical engineering or automotive engineering.[4]
Bibliography
[1] https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/en/themen/bildung_und_neue_medien/lehre/Seite.333400.html
[2] https://www.oesterreich.gv.at/en/themen/bildung_und_neue_medien/lehre/Seite.333100.html
[3] https://www.wko.at/service/zahlen-daten-fakten/daten-lehrlingsstatistik.html
[4] https://www.oegj.at/meine-situation/ich-bin-lehrling/fakten-zur-lehre
