Austria: digital learning platform for apprentices

Demand-oriented and location-independent education and training programmes

The Austrian Economic Chambers have set themselves the goal of pooling together all online education and training programmes from the business world into the online platform, wîse up. Whether on a desktop, tablet or smartphone, the platform enables individualised learning at any time and from any location.

Wîse up was launched with around 15 000 online courses end of 2022. Until October 2024, the offer increased significantly, giving access to more than 20 000 quality-assured, digital courses from renowned education and training providers. The contents include topics relevant for all occupations (e.g. digitalisation, soft skills) as well as occupation-specific content (e.g. principles of electrical engineering). The offer is constantly being updated and expanded.

The platform also offers companies the opportunity to integrate their own learning content. This can be assigned to employees responsible for onboarding or training, for example. The simple administration and management of education and training activities relieves the burden of operational HR work and reduces costs and training-related absences.

Education and training programmes for apprentices

With this platform, the economic chambers aim to support dual VET, which makes apprentices also a key target group for wîse up. The two places of learning, the company and part-time vocational school, are complemented by so-called learning paths. Learning paths are digital, content-coordinated, didactically quality-assured education and training programmes geared towards apprenticeships for the acquisition of specialist and interdisciplinary skills. Subject matter experts curate existing digital content, such as animated videos or web-based training courses (i.e. assess them for their suitability). For the ‘blank areas’ that are not yet covered by the digital offers available on the market, education and training providers produce new content on behalf of the economic chambers. Educational experts supplement knowledge retention measures and bring everything together to create appropriate learning paths.

Since October 2024, around 550 subject-specific learning paths for 11 major apprenticeships have been online, for example for apprenticeships in electrical engineering, metal technology and retail. The learning paths are used by training companies as an optional supplement to the training. The fees for the use of this offer by the apprentices are fully covered by a special subsidy (Digi-Scheck). In total, more than 50% of all apprentices in Austria can develop their subject-specific skills individually. Over the next few years, the aim is to build up a comprehensive range of learning paths, and to add digital content in preparation for the apprenticeship-leave exam.

Austrian NIP and EU priorities
Wîse up is part of a comprehensive education campaign organised by the Austrian Economic Chambers. While the offer is aimed at various target groups in companies, there is a special focus on digital support for dual education and training. This was included as a separate measure in the national implementation plan (NIP) for VET. With its wide range of digital learning content, the platform helps to expand VET and make it more flexible, especially for apprentices and companies, supporting the development of opportunities for lifelong learning.

Read more

• Digital education and training platform Wîse up
• Austrian Federal Economic Chamber. (2023).  Wîse up – die digitale Aus- und Weiterbildungsplattform für Österreichs Wirtschaft  [Wîse up – the digital education and training platform for Austria's economy]. (In German only).