12/20/2021
VET Schools and Colleges in Austria
This website contains a database in order to find vocational schools and colleges in upper secondary education in Austria - but sorry it's only in German. It is provided by the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Research, DG for General and Vocational Education.
In Austria schools and colleges - in VET upper secondary education - provide technical and/or vocational training from the ninth school year, in addition to a broad general education. VET schools and higher colleges comprise:
- Part-time vocational schools and prevocational schools
- Schools and colleges of engineering, arts and crafts
- Schools and colleges of business administration
- Schools and colleges of management and services industries
- Schools and colleges of tourism
- Schools and colleges of fashion
- Colleges of art and design
- Colleges of product management and presentation
- Schools of social occupations
- Colleges of agriculture and forestry
- Federal school of forestry
- Federal sport academies
- Teacher training colleges for early childhood education
- Colleges of social pedagogy
including special courses and pilot projects. Many of them are provided for employed people.
Schools of vocational education (ISCED 3)
- 3-year course or 4-year course
- the final exam is the Abschlussprüfung that enables to professional qualifications
- some schools offer one-year and two-year courses (from ninth school year)
- [Fachschule, Handelsschule]
Colleges of higher vocational education (ISCED 5)
- five year course;
- the final exam is the Reife- und Diplomprüfung (Reifeprüfung and VET Diploma) that opens up access to tertiary education and also to regulated professional activities.
- 4th to 5th grade of this programme as well as the educational achievement are ISCED 550 - short-cycle tertiary education
- [Höherere Lehranstalt; Bildungsanstalt, Handelsakademie]
Other VET school types
- Post-secondary Courses (ISCED 550), 4 - 6 semester; [Kolleg]
- Add-on Courses (ISCED 550), 6 semester; [Aufbaulehrgang]
- Foreperson and Master Craftsperson Courses (ISCED 550), 4 - 6 semester; [Werkmeisterschule, Meisterschule]
System of marks (grades) 1 = very good (best mark) 2 = well done 3 = satisfactory 4 = sufficient 5 = not sufficient (negative mark)
Duration of a school year: from September to June, in general 40 weeks of lessons per week: from 32 to 37 of a lesson: 45 min. or 50 min.