- 2017Implementation
- 2018Implementation
- 2019Implementation
- 2020Implementation
- 2021Implementation
- 2022Implementation
- 2023Implementation
- 2024Implementation
Background
Workers without qualifications face multiple disadvantages in the labour market, such as low income and a higher risk of unemployment. Low-skilled workers are unable to meet the increasing demands of the labour market. This disadvantaged group is therefore the central target group of active labour market policy.
Objectives
The objectives of the professional scholarships for the low-skilled employed or unemployed, are to:
- upgrade skill levels for employed or unemployed skilled workers with qualifications below the level of universities of applied sciences to reduce the risk of unemployment;
- enable employed or unemployed people who have not finished their education and training in the past to obtain labour market relevant qualifications;
- cover the need for a skilled workforce in specific fields of the Austrian economy.
Description
Since January 2017 the professional scholarship has enabled unemployed and employed low-skilled individuals (through taking educational leave) to obtain labour market relevant qualifications to secure their employability and to cover companies' needs for a skilled workforce. At the start of the programme a list of relevant qualifications (in the form of training possibilities) was defined by the Public Employment Service. This list is continuously updated. During the training period, the participants are also covered by health, accident and pension insurance. The scholarship is thus intended to provide a livelihood for the period of training and is granted for a maximum of three years.
The minimum duration of the training must be three months, with at least 20 hours per week over the entire training period.
Academic training at universities of applied sciences and universities is not supported.
The programme is implemented by the Public Employment Service (AMS) with the participation and support of social partner organisations and key stakeholders. In 2018 (the last available data), around 4 300 people took part in training courses within the framework of the professional scholarship.
In 2019, the programme was extended until the end of 2020. From 2019, five new apprenticeship occupations and social care occupations were added to the list of eligible training courses.
In 2020, the programme was extended until the end of 2022. A new list of eligible training courses came into force on 1 August 2020. The general regulations for funding remain unchanged. Since 2020 the scholarship covers training (mainly post-secondary VET programmes and apprenticeship training) in the following areas (sectors):
- mathematics, computer science, natural sciences and technology (STEM);
- health, care and social professions.
The amount of the scholarship depends on the participants' level of unemployment benefit and amounts to at least EUR 30.60 per day (as of September 2020).
In 2021, the programme was extended until the end of 2023. The amount of the scholarship was increased to a minimum of EUR 31.70 per day (as of 1 January 2021).
A new list of eligible training courses came into force on 1 January 2022. The amount of the scholarship was again increased to a minimum of EUR 32.60 per day (as of 1 January 2022).
The list of eligible training opportunities was updated as of 1 January 2023. The minimum daily rate was raised to EUR 35.20 per day (as of 1 January 2023).
This list is a detailed enumeration of which training courses are covered by the funding. The annual update of the list includes, on the one hand, the adaptation of changed designations for school types and apprenticeship occupations and, on the other hand, the inclusion of new school types and apprenticeship occupations that have only recently emerged or for which the shortage of skilled workers is increasing. The main change as of January 2023 concerns the training programmes for nursing and social care professions, which were removed from the list because a separate funding programme (nursing scholarship) was developed for them.
As of 1. January 2024, the list of eligible training opportunities was updated and the minimum daily rate was raised to EUR 38.60 per day.
The main changes as of January 2024 concern the introduction of full-time and dual training courses in the field of glass technology, painter and coating technician, plastics process engineer and business logistics clerk, as well as full-time training in the field of social pedagogy.
Bodies responsible
- Austrian Public Employment Service (AMS)
- Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB)
- Chamber of Labour (AK)
- Austrian Federal Economic Chamber (WKO)
- Association Industry 4.0 Austria
Target groups
Learners
- Unemployed and jobseekers
- Low-skilled/qualified persons
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 ways VET is funded at the system level. Policies include optimisation of VET provider funding that allows them to adapt their offer to changing skill needs, green and digital transitions, the social agenda and economic cycles, e.g. increasing the funding for VET or for specific programmes. They can also concern changing the mechanism of how the funding is allocated to VET schools (per capita vs based on achievement or other criteria). Using EU funds and financial instruments for development of VET and skills also falls 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 all kinds of incentives that encourage learners to take part in VET and lifelong learning; VET providers to improve, broaden and update their offer; companies to provide places for apprenticeship and work-based learning, and to stimulate and support learning of their employees. It also includes measures addressing specific challenges of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) willing to create work-based learning opportunities in different sectors. Incentives can be financial (e.g. grants, allowances, tax incentives, levy/grant mechanisms, vouchers, training credits, individual learning accounts) and non-financial (e.g. information/advice on funding opportunities, technical support, mentoring).
This thematic sub-category refers to providing the possibility for individuals who are already in the labour market/in employment to reskill and/or acquire higher levels of skills, and to ensuring targeted information resources on the benefits of CVET and lifelong learning. It also covers the availability of CVET programmes adaptable to labour market, sectoral or individual up- and reskilling needs. The sub-category includes working with respective stakeholders to develop digital learning solutions supporting access to CVET opportunities and awarding CVET credentials and certificates.
Subsystem
Further reading
Country
Type of development
Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Professional scholarships for the low-skilled employed or unemployed: Austria. In Cedefop, & ReferNet. (2025). Timeline of VET policies in Europe (2024 update) [Online tool].
https://www.cedefop.europa.eu/es/tools/timeline-vet-policies-europe/search/27982