Learning account of Upper Austria

Name of the instrument - Local language: Bildungskonto Oberösterreich
Name of the instrument - English translation: Learning account of Upper Austria
Scheme ID: 8
Country: Austria
Reporting year: 2020
Type of instrument: Grant for individuals
Sub-type of instrument: Cost-related support
Type of entry: Example for a group of instruments

Short description: Beneficiaries of this scheme include all types of learners (employees, persons with parental leave benefit, persons on parental leave, marginally employed, unemployed, self-employed, freelancer, academics with a max gross income of EUR 2 700, entrepreneurs with a maximum of 5 employees) as long as they are residents of Upper Austria. The co-funding share is 30% of the costs for training and education, up to EUR 2 000. Professionally oriented further training and re-training are the eligible types of training to be funded. Office of the Upper Austrian government, Department Education and Society, governs, administers, and takes responsibility for the whole scheme.

Level of operation

Regional

Name of a part of the country

Not applicable

Name of the region (for regional instruments)

Upper Austria

Name of the sector (for sectoral instruments)

Not applicable

Relevance

Key instrument

Legal basis

Decision of the government of Upper Austria

Objective(s) and target(s)

To advance employment and improve personal skills of individuals

Year of implementation

1994

Year of latest amendment

2018

Operation/management

Office of the Upper Austrian government, Department Education and Society, governs, administers and takes responsibility for the whole scheme. Responsible for monitoring/evaluation: IBE, Landesrechnungshof OÖ (Audit Court Upper Austria).

Eligible group(s)

employees, persons with parental leave benefit, persons on parental leave, marginally employed, unemployed, self-employed, freelancer, academics with a max gross income of 2700 EUR, entrepreneurs with a maximum of 5 employees

Group(s) with preferential treatment

persons with parental leave benefit, persons on parental leave, employees >50years with a gross income 2200, german course attendees, people with ISCED level 0-2, people not receiving unemployment benefit

Education and training eligible

Professionally oriented further training and re-training

Source of financing and collection mechanism

Upper Austria budget matching: individual

Financing formula and allocation mechanisms

Co-funding: 30 % of the costs for education and training up to a maximum amount of 2 000 (preferential treatment: 60% up to 2 400) in period 1 January 2019 - 31 December 2022. If limit of reimbursement is reached, the next account can be claimed in 2023. Individuals may be granted more than 1 ILA per year, as long as the limit of reimbursement is not reached. Allocation: money is transferred to a learner's individual bank account.

Eligible costs

Fees only

Volumes of funding

2019: EUR 5 366 000 2018: EUR 6 705 000 2017: EUR 7 557 000

Beneficiaries/take up

2016: 15 650

Organisation responsible for monitoring/evaluation

Oberösterreichischer Landesrechnungshof (2009) Bildungskonto des Landes Oö. Initi-ativprüfung (Bericht). Linz (online https://www.lrh-ooe.at/Mediendateien/Berichte2009/IP_Bildungskonto_Beri… letzter Zugriff: 9 November 2020

Monitoring/evaluation reports available

Lassnigg, Lorenz, & Baumegger, David. (2019). ‚Bildungskonto Oberösterreich ': Access to education/training for precarious/disadvantaged workers? A case study.

Most relevant webpage - in English