- 2016Approved/Agreed
- 2017Implementation
- 2018Implementation
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
Background
Dropping out has not only far-reaching individual, but also economic, consequences. It leads to fragmented employment patterns, an increased risk of unemployment, lower entitlements in the pension system and increases the economic costs in the social system. Therefore, as many young people as possible should be able to achieve a secondary level II qualification and thus keep the number of NEETs as low as possible.
Since this is a general social, labour market and educational policy goal, responsibility for it falls under the shared responsibility of all relevant ministries, specifically the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Education, Science und Research, Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection.
Objectives
To reduce the number of early school leavers and young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs).
Description
The legislation introducing a training obligation until the age of 18 was approved by parliament in 2016 and came into force in the summer of 2017. Since July 2017, young people who would otherwise not continue education and training beyond compulsory schooling (age 15) or discontinue a programme they have taken up, will have to undertake some form of training until they have passed the age of 18. Those who do not get a place in a school or in a company to do an apprenticeship must either:
- participate in VET training centre programmes (überbetriebliche Lehrlingsausbildung);
- or attend a so-called production school;
- or participate in any other labour market policy measures targeted at this group.
The law provides for fines for parents should their children not comply with this obligation and not attend any programme. Sanctions may (but need not) be imposed, depending on the decision of the municipal administrative authority. Implementation will build on coordination and coaching services targeted at supporting and guiding young people and their parents.
During the 2016-18 implementation phase, a monitoring system was developed that integrated the data on dropouts from all upper secondary education pathways (general upper secondary education, VET, apprenticeship, youth labour market qualifications). If no further training was taken within 4 months of dropping out, the dropouts or their guardians are contacted by the...
The legislation introducing a training obligation until the age of 18 was approved by parliament in 2016 and came into force in the summer of 2017. Since July 2017, young people who would otherwise not continue education and training beyond compulsory schooling (age 15) or discontinue a programme they have taken up, will have to undertake some form of training until they have passed the age of 18. Those who do not get a place in a school or in a company to do an apprenticeship must either:
- participate in VET training centre programmes (überbetriebliche Lehrlingsausbildung);
- or attend a so-called production school;
- or participate in any other labour market policy measures targeted at this group.
The law provides for fines for parents should their children not comply with this obligation and not attend any programme. Sanctions may (but need not) be imposed, depending on the decision of the municipal administrative authority. Implementation will build on coordination and coaching services targeted at supporting and guiding young people and their parents.
During the 2016-18 implementation phase, a monitoring system was developed that integrated the data on dropouts from all upper secondary education pathways (general upper secondary education, VET, apprenticeship, youth labour market qualifications). If no further training was taken within 4 months of dropping out, the dropouts or their guardians are contacted by the coordination centres of the Training to 18 programme and a clearing, counselling and coaching procedure will be started. If the legal guardians are not cooperative, from the summer of 2018 sanctions could also be imposed. For the implementation phase of the compulsory education law, a scientific accompaniment was commissioned, which was carried out by a consortium of two research institutes from February 2017 to January 2019. This scientific monitoring focused not only on the economic and social benefits of the project, but also examined specific target groups of the Training up to the age of 18 programme, as well as essential measures and reforms in the education and training system with regard to their contribution to the achievement of the goal. The results of the scientific monitoring were expected in 2019. The budget was EUR 221 million for 2016-20. The measure will be evaluated in 2021.
Main elements of the training obligation are existing and well-established, supporting like the youth coaching which helps young people in the transition from compulsory schooling to education and training at upper secondary level, but also recently developed offers within the apprenticeship training system like training supervisors and apprenticeship coaching. All these offers are intended to help young people to find training possibilities or to stay in training and avoid dropout. There is ongoing monitoring for quality assurance and impact of the programme.
All measures developed and implemented within the training obligation fall under the shared responsibility of the Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Education, Science und Research, Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs and the Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection. The main responsibility lies with the Ministry of Labour.
In 2019, almost 2 400 young people between the ages of 15 and 18 who had dropped out of education and training were followed. In two-thirds of the cases the result of the support was quite successful. The young people either returned to school or an apprenticeship or were supported by youth coaches in their search for a suitable training path.
The first results of an accompanying evaluation were published in 2019. The study was conducted jointly by the Institute for Advanced Studies (his) and the Austrian Institute for Vocational Training Research (öibf). The study focused on early school leaving, its causes, consequences and possibilities for countermeasures and the (macroeconomic) benefits of the programme. Several research modules of the study were devoted to supporting young people within and outside the education system. The study focused specifically on a young target group that required special support in continuing their educational careers due to disadvantage and sometimes to multiple risk factors.
In summary, the study showed that one of the great advantages of the training obligation until the age of 18 (AB18) is that it is not only a simple extension of compulsory schooling for another three years. Within the framework of the AB18, it is possible to meet the training obligation, for example, by participating in adult education measures for vocational integration or within the framework of labour market promotion. This often involves variation of training settings and pedagogical-didactic approaches and opens up alternative ways to obtain a qualification.
A second innovative element of the AB18 highlighted in the report is seen in the fact that it is not only about setting up another compensation offer. Rather, a comprehensive approach is pursued, consisting of:
- prevention;
- intervention;
- compensation.
A third central points for success of the AB18 are cooperation, networking and collaboration of all stakeholders to achieve a goal, which implies also to overcome particular interests. At least at the level of the major players, this means abandoning accustomed ways of thinking and focusing on:
- financial resourcing;
- differentiation into own and foreign target groups;
- narrowly defined competences and mandates that have cross-border effects and at the same time create non-competences and non-mandates.
Training up to the age of 18 is an important step in this direction.
In 2020 the AB 18 programme reached its full implementation. At the end of 2020, an updated list of offers was published by the Federal Ministry of Labour, Family and Youth, with education and training courses that are suitable for fulfilling the training obligation within the framework of the AB 18 programme.
At the Zero Project Award 2020, an international award for projects and initiatives in the field of education for disadvantaged people, the Training up to 18 programme was shortlisted as an innovative measure and received the Zero Project badge for its achievements for disadvantaged people. This won against 469 other nominations. A total of 193 projects, initiatives and guidelines from the field of education for disadvantaged people made it onto the shortlist.
With an amendment to the Vocational Training Act, in 2020 new regulations such as the possibility of part-time apprenticeships were introduced to enable young people to remain in training when they have care responsibilities (e.g. become parents). Also, such changes should be seen under the joint responsibility of the entire education and training system to fulfil the training obligation.
One main aspect of the implementation of the AB18 programme to prevent early leaving is the ‘youth coaching’. In 2021 an evaluation of youth coaching was carried out. The results show the high effectiveness of the measure. In a comparison of the intervention group and the control group, a clearly positive effect of the measure (in the sense of training participation, for example) can be seen amongst the participants in the development of their labour market status instead of becoming learners at risk of early leaving.
In 2022, a total of 4 299 young people were accompanied who failed to fulfil their training obligation. Of these, 90% of the cases could be completed positively, i.e. transferred to training in the sense of the training obligation.
Bodies responsible
- Federal Ministry of Labour, Family and Youth (BMAFJ) (until 2020)
- Federal Ministry of Digital and Economic Affairs (BMDW) (until 2022)
- Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research (BMBWF)
- Federal Ministry of Labour (BMA) (until 2022)
- Federal Ministry of Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection
- Federal Ministry of Labour and Economy (BMAW)
Target groups
Learners
- Young people (15-29 years old)
- Young people not in employment, education or training (NEETs)
- Learners at risk of early leaving or/and early leavers
Thematic categories
Governance of VET and lifelong learning
This thematic category looks at existing legal frameworks providing for strategic, operational – including quality assurance – and financing arrangements for VET and lifelong learning (LLL). It examines how VET and LLL-related policies are placed in broad national socioeconomic contexts and coordinate with other strategies and policies, such as economic, social and employment, growth and innovation, recovery and resilience.
This thematic category covers partnerships and collaboration networks of VET stakeholders – especially the social partners – to shape and implement VET in a country, including looking at how their roles and responsibilities for VET at national, regional and local levels are shared and distributed, ensuring an appropriate degree of autonomy for VET providers to adapt their offer.
The thematic category also includes efforts to create national, regional and sectoral skills intelligence systems (skills anticipation and graduate tracking) and using skills intelligence for making decisions about VET and LLL on quality, inclusiveness and flexibility.
This thematic sub-category refers to the integration of VET into economic, industrial, innovation, social and employment strategies, including those linked to recovery, green and digital transitions, and where VET is seen as a driver for innovation and growth. It includes national, regional, sectoral strategic documents or initiatives that make VET an integral part of broader policies, or applying a mix of policies to address an issue VET is part of, e.g. in addressing youth unemployment measures through VET, social and active labour market policies that are implemented in combination. National skill strategies aiming at quality and inclusive lifelong learning also fall into this sub-category.
Supporting lifelong learning culture and increasing participation
Lifelong learning refers to all learning (formal, non-formal or informal) taking place at all stages in life and resulting in an improvement or update in knowledge, skills, competences and attitudes or in participation in society from a personal, civic, cultural, social or employment-related perspective (Erasmus+, Glossary of terms, https://erasmus-plus.ec.europa.eu/programme-guide/part-d/glossary-common-terms). A systemic approach to CVET is crucial to ensure adaptability to evolving demands.
This broad thematic category looks at ways of creating opportunities and ensuring access to re-skilling and upskilling pathways, allowing individuals to progress smoothly in their learning throughout their lives with better permeability between general and vocational education and training, and better integration and compatibility between initial and continuing VET and with higher education. Individuals should be supported in acquiring and updating their skills and competences and navigating easily through education and training systems. Strategies and campaigns that promote VET and LLL as an attractive and high-quality pathway, providing quality lifelong guidance and tailored support to design learning and career paths, and various incentives (financial and non-financial) to attract and support participation in VET and LLL fall into this thematic category as well.
This thematic category also includes many initiatives on making VET inclusive and ensuring equal education and training opportunities for various groups of learners, regardless of their personal and economic background and place of residence – especially those at risk of disadvantage or exclusion, such as persons with disabilities, the low-skilled and low-qualified, minorities, migrants, refugees and others.
This thematic sub-category refers to making VET pathways and programmes inclusive and accessible for all. It concerns measures and targeted actions to increase access and participation in VET and lifelong learning for learners from all vulnerable groups, and to support their school/training-to-work transitions. It includes measures to prevent early leaving from education and training. The thematic sub-category covers measures promoting gender balance in traditionally ‘male’ and ‘female’ professions and addressing gender-related and other stereotypes. The vulnerable groups are, but not limited to: persons with disabilities; the low-qualified/-skilled; minorities; persons of migrant background, including refugees; people with fewer opportunities due to their geographical location and/or their socioeconomically disadvantaged circumstances.
European priorities in VET
VET Recommendation
- VET promoting equality of opportunities
Osnabrück Declaration
- Resilience and excellence through quality, inclusive and flexible VET