With which training do you have the best career opportunities today? 56 percent of Austrian students see themselves in pole position with a degree at a university or a technical college. For 32 percent it is a high school diploma at a vocational college (BHS). Apprenticeships with a high school diploma follow in third place with 30 percent. Apprenticeship is in fifth place (14 percent), one place behind the AHS Matura, for example at a grammar school.
These figures come from the 2022 apprenticeship study, which the Linz Market Institute carried out on behalf of the Federation of Austrian Industries (IV) and the Initiative Zukunft.Lehre.Österreich (ZLÖ) among apprentices, students, parents and teachers. 1000 interviews were conducted. “Teaching has to be positioned differently, the numbers show us that,” said study author David Pfarrhofer today, Friday, at the online presentation in Vienna: In addition to grammar school (AHS) and HAK, HTL and HBLA (BHS), teaching must be very clear be the third way to the Matura. “The apparent dead end after completing an apprenticeship still prevents some from completing an apprenticeship. The long-term goal of educational policy in our state should be that the three paths AHS, BHS and apprenticeship are combined with equally good career and further training opportunities – with and without a high school diploma “, said Werner Steinecker: The general director of Energie AG is the founder and president of ZLÖ. The high level of approval of the “Apprenticeship with Matura” in the study shows the continued high appeal of the Matura. “The apprenticeship is a basis, but there are no limits to it,” emphasized Britta Schindler (A1): A third of the A1 apprentices would do an apprenticeship with a high school diploma.
Career orientation as a compulsory subject?
Pfarrhofer identified the attractiveness of the apprenticeship as a “second construction site”: For 38 percent, an apprenticeship is little or not at all attractive. 39 percent said the apprenticeship was “old and outdated”. For 45 percent of the students, the term “apprentice” is no longer appropriate and should be modernized. In this context, Steinecker announced an Austria-wide survey to find a new, modern and appropriate name. The federal government used to have an “apprentice officer”: According to Steinecker, one should think about returning or having one’s own state secretary in order to do more for the form of training.
One of the reasons is that young people know too little about the possibilities and about modern vocational training, said Pfarrhofer. Verbund boss Michael Strugl emphasized that career orientation in schools must be given greater importance, possibly in the form of a compulsory subject. 64 percent said it was rather or very difficult to get to know apprenticeships and companies. It is also noticeable here that the three most important sources of information for young people (trial days in companies, visits to companies, career information fairs) have been much less possible since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. However, only 54 percent think that finding an apprenticeship is difficult: a year ago it was 70 percent.
At the press conference, many people also talked about making the teaching profession more attractive. How exactly is this supposed to succeed? “It’s about showing perspectives,” said Miba HR Manager Bernhard Reisner: You have to convey to the young people what their job is about and what they can achieve with it. “Industry will manage to curb climate change. When it comes to issues like these, young people catch fire.”
Source: Nachrichten
