Country fiches
Austria (2023)
1.1.1. MECHANISM(S) TO PROVIDE IVET LEARNERS WITH INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE ON INTERNATIONAL LEARNING MOBILITY
Austria has mechanisms for information and guidance provision on IVET mobility topics. The OeAD (1) is the Austrian agency for education and internationalisation responsible for international mobility and cooperation in education, science and research. The establishment of the OeAD is based on the national OeAD Act, and the agency is owned by the Austrian Federal Government represented by the Ministry of Education, Science and Research.
The main objective of the OeAD is to promote and support international cooperation in education, science and research. The activities of the OeAD embrace general, academic and vocational education with a – historically grown – specific focus on academic mobility.
The main objective of the OeAD is to promote and support international cooperation in education, science and research. The activities of the OeAD embrace general, academic, and vocational education with a – historically grown – specific focus on academic mobility.
The OeAD is also home to the National Agency for the Erasmus+ programme and thus responsible for information and guidance on and coordination and administration of all Erasmus+ mobility projects. In this context, every year they organise many events (2) to promote international mobility and provide information about mobility projects (and funding possibilities). The National Agency Erasmus+ (3) also publishes statistics on mobility and mobility programmes. In terms of provision of information and guidance, they focus on educational institutions, although they also provide information and guidance to individuals. The National Agency Erasmus+ is also regularly represented at education fairs, at conferences in the field of education and career guidance and in schools. They participate in training programmes for teachers and career guidance counsellors to inform about mobility possibilities and the Erasmus+ programme.
While the National Agency/OeAD usually does not provide one-to-one guidance and counselling to individual IVET learners, but only in institutional settings, the IFA association (International Young Workers Exchange) certainly does. The role of IFA very much revolves around ‘information and guidance’. Founded in 1995, this association’s mission is to support the international mobility of apprentices, VET learners and VET graduates, by providing administrative and organisational support. Their core service area is related to internships abroad for young apprentices. As a central information and consulting centre for young people, companies and VET providers, the IFA association organises work placements and provides support with the organisation of these placements. They provide one-to-one guidance to individuals (VET learners and VET graduates) seeking to engage in VET mobility and to companies trying to send their apprentices or young professionals abroad. IFA can be considered as an intermediary organisation or agency, which provides support to IVET learners (mostly apprentices), companies and VET providers by organising European learning mobility and acts as an intermediary to the National Agency by organising and coordinating the mobility applications and the mobilities themselves for this target group. Members of the IFA association are as follows: the Austrian Economic Chambers, the Federation of Austrian Industry, the Junior Chamber Austria and the Young Industrialists. (4)
In 2021, the ibw Austria – Research & Development in VET presented a study on initiatives to promote foreign mobility, which also documents the role of the IFA in networking local initiatives. (5)
IFA offers different types of support models for organising internships (most are carried out using Erasmus+ funding):
(a) IFA organises internship places and issues a call for interest; apprentices can submit an application.
(b) For large companies which want to organise internships for a group of apprentices, IFA offers to develop company-specific internship packages, tailored to the individual companies' needs and requirements.
(c) Companies can organise internships on their own and only approach IFA to deal with funding issues with the National Agency.
IFA also provides information to incoming learners. (6)
Apart from these two main actors, information and guidance is also provided by other bodies or organisations, such as the Austrian Economic Chambers, youth information centres, the Europass portal and relevant ministries (7).
Furthermore, there are regional and sectoral programmes and initiatives which provide guidance and information on VET learner mobility, for example:
(a) XCHANGE: XCHANGE is a regional exchange programme in the Alpine region which organises work placements abroad for apprentices (duration: 3-4 weeks). The programme provides support for finding a suitable company for the exchange of apprentices, as well as support for organisational and funding issues. The following countries/regions are part of this Alpine region initiative: four western provinces of Austria (Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Tyrol, Upper Austria); Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, region of Alsace. (8)
(b) At sectoral level:
(i) the Rural Youth Association provides information and guidance on internships in agriculture-related fields (9);
(ii) Atempo (10) is a social enterprise which provides, amongst other things, support to individuals with learning difficulties or disabilities by organising internships abroad;
(iii) Wienwork (11) is a regional social enterprise with the mission of creating and finding employment for disadvantaged people. They also support international VET mobility for disadvantaged learners.
As pointed out above, VET curricula in Austria are rather ‘prescriptive’ in the sense that they leave little room for flexibility in course planning. As a result, the aspect of guidance and counselling will generally have less significance than in systems with very open/flexible curricula.
IFA in particular (as well as the other sectoral and regional initiatives mentioned above) assumes the role of a central consulting and guidance centre for IVET learners who wish to engage in transnational VET mobility.
On an individual basis it should be mentioned that VET teachers and trainers also play a significant role by providing information and guidance to IVET learners who wish to spend a mobility period abroad.
_________________
(1) OeAD: https://oead.at/
(2) OeAD: Veranstaltungen [Events]. https://oead.at/de/veranstaltungen/
(3) OeAD: Herzlichen Willkommen bei Erasmus+ in Österreich [Welcome to Erasmus+ in Austria]. https://erasmusplus.at
(4) IFA: IFA Internationaler Fachkräfteaustausch [International Young Workers Exchange] https://ifa.or.at/
(5) Petanovitsch, A.; /Fibi, B. (2021): Initiativen zur Förderung der Auslandsmobilität von Lehrlingen. Initiativenkatalog und Synopse. [Initiatives to promote foreign mobility of apprentices. Catalogue of Initiatives and synopsos]. ibw report. Vienna. https://ibw.at/resource/download/2202/ibw-studie-fiam,pdf
(6) IFA: Go! Austria. https://ifa.or.at/en/go-austria/
(7) WKO: Auslandspraktikum für Lehrlinge [Internship abroad for apprentices] https://www.wko.at/service/bildung-lehre/foerderung-auslandspraktikum-l… / OeAD. Europass https://www.europass.at/ / Bundesnetzwerk Österreichischer Jugendinfos: Einfach weg. Auslandsaufenthalte für junge Leute [Just gone. Stays abroad for young people]. https://www.jugendinfo.at/publikationen/einfach-weg/ / Bundesnetzwerk Österreichischer Jugendinfos: Praktikum im Ausland [Internship abroad]. https://www.jugendportal.at/themen/arbeit-beruf/praktikum/praktikum-im-… / BMBWF. EU/Internationales. https://www.bmbwf.gv.at/Themen/euint.html /
BMAW: Internationale Berufsausbildung [International VET] https://www.bmaw.gv.at/Themen/Lehre-und-Berufsausbildung/Internationale…
(8) XCHANGE: http://www.xchange-info.net
(9) Landjugend Österreich: Der Weg zum international Praktikum in der Landwirtschaft [The way to an international internship in agriculture]. https://landjugend.at/praktikum/schritt-fuer-schritt-zum-praktikum
(10) atempo: Wer wir sind [Who we are]. https://www.atempo.at
(11) wienwork: https://www.wienwork.at
The main objective of the OeAD is to promote and support international cooperation in education, science and research. The activities of the OeAD embrace general, academic and vocational education with a – historically grown – specific focus on academic mobility.
The main objective of the OeAD is to promote and support international cooperation in education, science and research. The activities of the OeAD embrace general, academic, and vocational education with a – historically grown – specific focus on academic mobility.
The OeAD is also home to the National Agency for the Erasmus+ programme and thus responsible for information and guidance on and coordination and administration of all Erasmus+ mobility projects. In this context, every year they organise many events (2) to promote international mobility and provide information about mobility projects (and funding possibilities). The National Agency Erasmus+ (3) also publishes statistics on mobility and mobility programmes. In terms of provision of information and guidance, they focus on educational institutions, although they also provide information and guidance to individuals. The National Agency Erasmus+ is also regularly represented at education fairs, at conferences in the field of education and career guidance and in schools. They participate in training programmes for teachers and career guidance counsellors to inform about mobility possibilities and the Erasmus+ programme.
While the National Agency/OeAD usually does not provide one-to-one guidance and counselling to individual IVET learners, but only in institutional settings, the IFA association (International Young Workers Exchange) certainly does. The role of IFA very much revolves around ‘information and guidance’. Founded in 1995, this association’s mission is to support the international mobility of apprentices, VET learners and VET graduates, by providing administrative and organisational support. Their core service area is related to internships abroad for young apprentices. As a central information and consulting centre for young people, companies and VET providers, the IFA association organises work placements and provides support with the organisation of these placements. They provide one-to-one guidance to individuals (VET learners and VET graduates) seeking to engage in VET mobility and to companies trying to send their apprentices or young professionals abroad. IFA can be considered as an intermediary organisation or agency, which provides support to IVET learners (mostly apprentices), companies and VET providers by organising European learning mobility and acts as an intermediary to the National Agency by organising and coordinating the mobility applications and the mobilities themselves for this target group. Members of the IFA association are as follows: the Austrian Economic Chambers, the Federation of Austrian Industry, the Junior Chamber Austria and the Young Industrialists. (4)
In 2021, the ibw Austria – Research & Development in VET presented a study on initiatives to promote foreign mobility, which also documents the role of the IFA in networking local initiatives. (5)
IFA offers different types of support models for organising internships (most are carried out using Erasmus+ funding):
(a) IFA organises internship places and issues a call for interest; apprentices can submit an application.
(b) For large companies which want to organise internships for a group of apprentices, IFA offers to develop company-specific internship packages, tailored to the individual companies' needs and requirements.
(c) Companies can organise internships on their own and only approach IFA to deal with funding issues with the National Agency.
IFA also provides information to incoming learners. (6)
Apart from these two main actors, information and guidance is also provided by other bodies or organisations, such as the Austrian Economic Chambers, youth information centres, the Europass portal and relevant ministries (7).
Furthermore, there are regional and sectoral programmes and initiatives which provide guidance and information on VET learner mobility, for example:
(a) XCHANGE: XCHANGE is a regional exchange programme in the Alpine region which organises work placements abroad for apprentices (duration: 3-4 weeks). The programme provides support for finding a suitable company for the exchange of apprentices, as well as support for organisational and funding issues. The following countries/regions are part of this Alpine region initiative: four western provinces of Austria (Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Tyrol, Upper Austria); Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Italy, region of Alsace. (8)
(b) At sectoral level:
(i) the Rural Youth Association provides information and guidance on internships in agriculture-related fields (9);
(ii) Atempo (10) is a social enterprise which provides, amongst other things, support to individuals with learning difficulties or disabilities by organising internships abroad;
(iii) Wienwork (11) is a regional social enterprise with the mission of creating and finding employment for disadvantaged people. They also support international VET mobility for disadvantaged learners.
As pointed out above, VET curricula in Austria are rather ‘prescriptive’ in the sense that they leave little room for flexibility in course planning. As a result, the aspect of guidance and counselling will generally have less significance than in systems with very open/flexible curricula.
IFA in particular (as well as the other sectoral and regional initiatives mentioned above) assumes the role of a central consulting and guidance centre for IVET learners who wish to engage in transnational VET mobility.
On an individual basis it should be mentioned that VET teachers and trainers also play a significant role by providing information and guidance to IVET learners who wish to spend a mobility period abroad.
_________________
(1) OeAD: https://oead.at/
(2) OeAD: Veranstaltungen [Events]. https://oead.at/de/veranstaltungen/
(3) OeAD: Herzlichen Willkommen bei Erasmus+ in Österreich [Welcome to Erasmus+ in Austria]. https://erasmusplus.at
(4) IFA: IFA Internationaler Fachkräfteaustausch [International Young Workers Exchange] https://ifa.or.at/
(5) Petanovitsch, A.; /Fibi, B. (2021): Initiativen zur Förderung der Auslandsmobilität von Lehrlingen. Initiativenkatalog und Synopse. [Initiatives to promote foreign mobility of apprentices. Catalogue of Initiatives and synopsos]. ibw report. Vienna. https://ibw.at/resource/download/2202/ibw-studie-fiam,pdf
(6) IFA: Go! Austria. https://ifa.or.at/en/go-austria/
(7) WKO: Auslandspraktikum für Lehrlinge [Internship abroad for apprentices] https://www.wko.at/service/bildung-lehre/foerderung-auslandspraktikum-l… / OeAD. Europass https://www.europass.at/ / Bundesnetzwerk Österreichischer Jugendinfos: Einfach weg. Auslandsaufenthalte für junge Leute [Just gone. Stays abroad for young people]. https://www.jugendinfo.at/publikationen/einfach-weg/ / Bundesnetzwerk Österreichischer Jugendinfos: Praktikum im Ausland [Internship abroad]. https://www.jugendportal.at/themen/arbeit-beruf/praktikum/praktikum-im-… / BMBWF. EU/Internationales. https://www.bmbwf.gv.at/Themen/euint.html /
BMAW: Internationale Berufsausbildung [International VET] https://www.bmaw.gv.at/Themen/Lehre-und-Berufsausbildung/Internationale…
(8) XCHANGE: http://www.xchange-info.net
(9) Landjugend Österreich: Der Weg zum international Praktikum in der Landwirtschaft [The way to an international internship in agriculture]. https://landjugend.at/praktikum/schritt-fuer-schritt-zum-praktikum
(10) atempo: Wer wir sind [Who we are]. https://www.atempo.at
(11) wienwork: https://www.wienwork.at