Vocational education and training - VET

To access and complete VET, refugees depend on supporting measures to overcome a variety of barriers, e.g. regarding language training and access to apprenticeships. Overall, reforms in Germany demonstrate promising initiatives to overcome the barriers to the integration of refugees in VET, while reforms in Austria and Denmark have limited refugees’ opportunities to access and complete VET.

Austrian VET ranks high, as demonstrated by its differentiated offer and high attractiveness: around 70% of each age cohort opt for a VET path at the end of compulsory education.   School-based VET and apprenticeships (dual track training) coexist. They cover nearly all economic sectors and lead to different qualification levels (either EQF 4 or 5).  

The companies’ demand for staff is truly heterogeneous in terms of their qualification profiles. In any case, the simple picture of demand that is primarily geared towards academic qualifications does not reflect reality at all. The medium skilled workers’ level will also represent the backbone of employees in the future. Furthermore, higher vocational qualifications are gaining in importance. In general, noticeable differences regarding recruitment demand, recruitment difficulties and recruitment/HRM strategies can be observed between companies. In this connection, the staff’s current qualification structure is a major influential factor.