Some young people struggle to continue education and training after the end of compulsory schooling or make a successful entry in the labour market. In 2021, an average of 13.8% of young people between 15 and 29 in OECD countries were not in employment, education or training (NEET). To help young people in Vienna, Austria, make successful transitions, national and municipal actors launched the Vienna Training Guarantee (Wiener Ausbildungsgarantie) in 2010.
Vocational Training Guarantee – Austria (Vienna)
Abstract
The Vienna Training Guarantee provides coaching and orientation to all young people aged 14/15 to 21 in the city of Vienna, with a possibility to extend services up to age 24 for those who have a disability. The Guarantee operates as a partnership between different institutions, including the Austrian Public Employment Service, the Federal Office of Social Affairs, the Vienna Social Fund, the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund, the Vienna School board, relevant municipal departments and social partners.
The Vocational Training Guarantee brings together multiple programmes financed by the partner organisations. For example, the guarantee involves Youth Coaching (Jugendcoaching), financed by the Federal Office of Social Affairs. The programme provides free‑of-charge individual counselling on vocational tracks such as dual learning, work-based learning that alternates with part-time classroom education, as well as assistance with social difficulties young people that prevent them from engaging in training, such as high levels of debt or precarious housing. The Vocational Training Guarantee also facilitates access to “Supra-Company Training” (Überbetriebliche Berufsausbildung), financed by the Austrian Public Employment Service and the Vienna Employment Promotion Fund, for young people to enter apprenticeships when placements with employers are not available. Other programmes available include pre‑apprenticeship schools (AusbildungsFit) operated by the Federal Office of Social Affairs.
Strong co‑ordination mechanisms are key to the success of the initiative. A steering group composed of representatives from the involved institutions meets every two months to plan activities, set priorities and agree on process. A co‑ordination unit implements activities, working directly with school counsellors and other youth actors across public administrations to co‑ordinate activities, relay information, identify gaps and develop joint services. Broader co‑ordination, particularly with the education system, occurs through meetings and working groups. The Vienna Training Guarantee is also embedded in Vienna’s 2030 Qualification Plan, which aims to raise skill levels of those with low levels of education.
Data suggests that the Vienna Training Guarantee has helped reduce early departure from education or training, primarily in younger age groups. The share of early school leavers, defined as individuals 15 to 17 years old not in schooling or apprenticeships who have completed at most compulsory education, has decreased from 13.1% in 2010 to 10.7% in 2020 in Vienna. A 2021 evaluation of the national Youth Coaching programme, showed that 47.7% of participants left the status of early drop-out, compared to 16.7% in the control group. The Vocational Training Guarantee has also yielded new collaborations across institutions in the forms of projects and more integrated pathways between programmes for young people.
Further reading
[1] Maier, D. (2019), Vienna Vocational Training Guarantee and the transition from school to skilled work, https://www.now-conference.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/NCM_Mayors_Vocational-Training-Guarantee.pdf.
[2] Steiner, M. et al. (2021), Evaluation des Jugendcoachings, Institut für Höhere Studien – Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS), Research Report, https://irihs.ihs.ac.at/id/eprint/6036/.
[3] WAFF (2024), Wiener Ausbildungsgarantie, https://www.waff.at/wiener-ausbildungsgarantie/.
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