2023
VET Schools and Colleges for Social Care and Nursing
Implementation of new type of school
Status:
School projects since 2020/21; part of regular schooling starting with 2023/24
Sources:
- Press release
- VET schools and colleges in Austria
- SchOG, SchUG
Description:
Due to demographic developments in combination with family changes, the need for care will increase. As a contribution to reducing the need in the nursing sector Austria started a new type of training in the 2020/21 school year (entrance at grade 9):
- 5-year college for nursing and social care with the degree of nursing assistant or diploma in social care
- 3-year school for social professions with preparation for nursing, leading to the degree of nursing assistant
National curricula will be decreed mid 2023.
Funding: part of the ministry's budget.
Monitoring and involved bodies:
Initiative for Adult Education - new cycle
Status: former cycle 2018 - 2021; extended until 2023
Sources:
- Legislation: amendment 2017
- Website
- Evaluation report German
Description:
The Initiative for Adult Education enables adults who lack basic skills or never graduated from lower secondary education to continue and finish their education free of charge. The related joint funding programme developed by the state and the provinces (Bundesländer) has aimed to a quantitative expansion and to a qualitative development of education programs regarding compulsory education certificates and literacy/basic education during 2011 to 2014 as well as during 2015 to 2017.
Austrian educational institutions that want to take part have to apply for accreditation in accordance with the guidelines of the Initiative for Adult Education.
The initiative has two focus areas: training of basic skills and lower secondary education as a basic prerequisite for further education and enhancement of chances on the labour market. The main objectives therefore are:
- Equal opportunities and reduction of disadvantages,
- reduction of the number of persons without basic education,
- increase in the number of persons with basic educational qualifications and
- increase in the permeability of the education system.
Measures:
- Training of basic skills and lower secondary education for adults in preparation for the compulsory school certificate on the basis of general quality standards
- General quality standards: a Compulsory School Examination Act which contains adult-appropriate and innovative forms of implementation with competence-orientated, cross-curricular programs which are tailored to the target groups, taking their living situations and their particular potential into account.
- Development of a "Framework Directive for Basic Training and Key Competences" targeted at adults
- A clearing-period at the beginning and counselling in regard to the transition into work or further education at the end are very important parts of this programme.
Expected impact:
- Increase of qualification levels, the reduction of disadvantages
- Provide offers free of charge (literacy/basic education programmes, compulsory education).
Funding: the federal and provincial governments each bear 50% of the costs. This educational offer is free of charge to participants.
Monitoring:
- Consistent quality guidelines for all courses of this programme have been implemented.
- A monitoring group supervises the process and the results.
- The total costs will only be refunded to the institutions if participants graduate successfully.
- Evaluation of the program.
Involved bodies:
- Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research
- Regional governments
- Training institutions
See also: Reform of Nursing
2022
2021
Initiative for Adult Education - old cycle
Cycle 2018 - 2021 finished.