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Curriculum, subjects, number of hours

The curricula of part-time vocational schools (years 10 to max. 13), schools of intermediate vocational education and training (=schools of intermediate VET) (years 9 to max. 12) and colleges of higher vocational education and training (=colleges of higher VET) (years 9 to 13) comprise information on general educational objectives and didactic principles, as well as details about teaching principles, school subjects and the timetable.

According to the School Organisation Act (Schulorganisationsgesetz), a general education and a business-related section as well as occupation-related theory and occupation-related practice are foreseen at part-time vocational schools. Occupation-related practice classes are required because the training regulation can’t completely be covered especially by higly specialized small and medium-sized companies.

At part-time vocational schools the curricula are learning outcome and competence-orientated containing the timetable, the general educational objective, the didactic principles as well as the teaching task and the teaching material for the individual subjects. An essential complementary element of curriculum implementation, quality assurance and further development is evaluation (e.g. self-evaluation, external evaluation) at the school site.

Since the curricula of the about 200 apprenticeship occupations differ in terms of optional subjects and exercises with some core or universal subjects in all apprenticeship curricula:

• Compulsory subjects:
  • religious instruction
  • German and communication,
  • an occupation-specific foreign language,
  • citizenship education,
  • business studies, and
  • theoretical and practical subjects required for the respective apprenticeship.
• Optional subjects:
  • religious instruction,
  • a modern foreign language,
  • German and
  • applied mathematics
• Optional exercises:
  • physical education and sport,
  • applied computer science.

The number of lessons depends on the duration of the apprenticeship training. It can last two, three, three-and-a-half or four years:

• For two-year apprenticeships, 800 or 840 lessons are taught altogether;
• For three-year apprenticeships, 1,200 or 1,260 lessons are taught altogether (not including religious instruction/ethics+)) – 3 years with at least 360 lessons each;
• For three-and-a-half-year apprenticeships, there are 1,380 or 1,440 lessons; in “high-tech” occupations 1,560 lessons (excluding religious instruction/ethics*)), of which in the first, second and third years a minimum of 360 each and in the fourth a minimum of 180 lessons.
• For four-year apprenticeships there are 1,620 lessons altogether.

Interested pupils can be supported in their preparation for the general higher education entrance examination (Berufsreifeprüfung) by taking in-depth classes in the subjects relevant to the Berufsreifeprüfung (German, English, mathematics, specialist area).

The curricula of schools of intermediate vocational education and training (=schools of intermediate VET) and colleges of higher VET comprise general compulsory subjects, compulsory subjects for the in-depth area/training focuses selected under school autonomy, optional subjects and a mandatory work placement. Schools of intermediate VET last between one and four years, colleges of higher VET comprise a training period of five years.

For all school types in vocational upper secondary education new curricula are developed frequently (on average in the interval of 8-12years), some are actually shortly before ordination (e. g. curriculum for the college of business administration). The new design of curricula is characterised by a division into semesters (splitting of syllabi over semesters) and competence areas (competence-oriented approach). The pedagogical school and lesson development approach for secondary levels I and II provides a basis for the development of a site-specific school model. The aim is to develop schools into learning organisations that enable contemporary learning (see 21st Century Skills).

The number of lessons, particularly at schools of engineering and crafts and at schools of agriculture, is up to 38 weekly lessons per school year for schools of intermediate VET and up to 39 weekly lessons per school year for colleges of higher VET.

The mandatory work placement takes place in relevant companies during the summer holidays. The payment of a remuneration for work placements is quite customary although not standardised due to the lack of collective agreement regulations. Completion of these mandatory work placements is obligatory for admission to the final examination or matriculation and diploma examination.

The following overview highlights school type specific aspects with reference to school years, lessons per week and duration of mandatory work placements. The number of weekly lessons is a reference value. In certain areas, the school locations within their autonomous range can design the compulsory subjects independently, e.g. by changing the distribution of weekly lessons among the individual classes, reducing weekly lessons or specifying another modern foreign language instead of English.

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Teaching methods and materials

The different subjects taught at part-time vocational school, schools of intermediate VET as well as colleges of higher VET entail a diversity of methods, like exercises, presentations, group work, talks and much more. The teacher is responsible for selecting the respective teaching method (freedom of choice of methods). However, he/she is obliged to teach appropriately to the various age groups, in a subject-related and illustrative way. Project-oriented and interdisciplinary forms of teaching and learning aim to promote holistic networked thinking.

More than two thirds of education at part-time vocational schools relates to general education (citizenship education, German and communication, an occupation-specific foreign language, etc.), business studies and occupation-related theory. One third of the curriculum and instruction is accounted to very well equipped workshops and laboratory lessons, supplementing practical training at the company.

In schools of intermediate VET as well as colleges of higher VET about 50 % of instruction in occupation-related theory takes place in laboratories and technically equipped rooms (IT, practice firm). For occupation-related practice, schools are equipped with workshops, training kitchens, etc. Despite high infrastructure and maintaining costs, these training facilities at the school location have proven more efficient than outsourced facilities. Both theory and practice are taught by teachers with business practice in the specific professional fields.

The following innovative teaching methods applied in schools of intermediate VET as well as colleges of higher VET may illustrate the wide range of modern didactics:

• Project-specific, interdisciplinary teaching and learning

This teaching method promotes holistic networked thinking and integrated holistic learning. In the final year of colleges of engineering, of agriculture and forestry, and of schools of fashion, (teams of) students work on comprehensive diploma or project papers frequently in cooperation with enterprises. The students work on a selected topic from their specialist area including the planning onto necessary calculations and construction up to production (e. g. of a prototype). The preparation of a diploma thesis with a business-related topic is a key element of the training at schools and colleges of business administration, but also at colleges of management and service industries, as well as colleges of tourism. These projects are carried out in close cooperation with or on the order of (regional) enterprises and thus potential future employers.

• Training firms and entrepreneurial education

This concept of the training firms is integrated into the curricula of commercial and business-oriented programmes and of colleges of agriculture and forestry. Entrepreneurship competence is included in the curricula of VET schools and colleges in compulsory subjects, internships and in non-compulsory subjects. Training firms have also been set up in other school types on a voluntary basis or as autonomous compulsory subject of schools. Training firms aim to simulate work processes in companies as close to the business reality as possible. Like real enterprises, each training firm is organised in departments responsible for personnel planning, administrative services, marketing, sales, controlling, auditing, accounts, logistics, etc. The trainees rotate jobs in the various departments, where they carry out the specific tasks.

Different knowledge and skills are applied in an integrative way. The main training objective in training firms is to teach in-company processes and external business relationships on a sound basis by using the latest communication and digital technologies. By participating in international training firm networks and cooperating in international practice firm fairs, the trainees become familiar with different business cultures by acting like responsible staff and managers developing entrepreneurial spirit. More than 70 % of practice firms cooperate with real-life business partners. 

The Austrian Centre for Training Firms (Servicestelle für österreichische Übungsfirmen, ACT) assists schools in the handling of the training firms, that are compulsory in a variety of the VET schools and colleges (particularly commercial academies).

Around 800 training firms are currently active in Austria with training firms in around 40 countries - from the USA and Canada to almost all EU countries and countries in south-east Europe and Asia.

For many years, there has been an Austria-wide competition for external certification, the Quality Audit - around 40 % of training firms from all types of schools have already been certified.

Strengthening the entrepreneurial mindset of young people at secondary level II is the driving force in the implementation of entrepreneurship education.