“The two years of training are structured in a variety of ways and you have additional training within a short time. For me it was the perfect alternative to studying,” says Rosa Mittermair. She broke off her studies and then completed an apprenticeship as a forwarding agent at “Gebrüder Weiss”. After graduating from high school, Joel Wimmer did not start at a university, but in a company: he trained as a mechatronics engineer at Palfinger.
Mittermair and Wimmer are two of 55 young Upper Austrians who have completed the “Dual Academy” in the past five years: “A total of 240 high school graduates have started this form of training,” said Gerald Silberhumer, director of the Upper Austrian Chamber of Commerce, on Friday at a press conference in Linz balance sheet.
The dual academy is a shortened form of training for high school graduates: you can choose from 13 professions (from application development to plastics technology to construction assistance).
The training for the trainees lasts a maximum of three years and takes place 70 percent in the company and 20 percent in the vocational school. The remaining time is intended for the acquisition of future skills. An internship abroad is also completed. In addition to high school graduates, the target groups are university dropouts and job changers.
346 companies are involved as training companies. One of them is the software specialist BMD Systemhaus: “It’s difficult to find specialists,” says Jürgen Palkoska, Head of Software Development: “But it’s not enough to complain. You have to show initiative to attract new groups of people to develop specialists.” Five trainees are currently being trained.
The dual academy started in Upper Austria and is gradually being rolled out throughout Austria. New job descriptions are also to be added. (prel)
Source: Nachrichten
