Education – an Overview

Back to: Know-How: Access to Education and Employment (Austria)

Compulsory schooling in Austria

Regardless of residence status, all children living in Austria from the age of 5 are required to attend kindergarten and from the age of 6 to attend school. General compulsory schooling is fulfilled by attending the following types of school:

• Elementary school in the first 4 school years;
• in the 5th to 8th school year the Neue Mittelschule (NMS) or the Allgemein Bildende Höhere Schule (AHS);
• in the 9th school year, the Polytechnic School (PTS) or a middle or secondary school.

Pre-school

School-age children who are not yet ready for school can be admitted to preschool. In pre-school, the child should be gradually accustomed to the school day.

All adolescents up to the age of 18 are in principle legally obliged to undergo further schooling, apprenticeship or other training.

Young asylum seekers aged 15 and over have the opportunity to attend basic education and compulsory school-leaving courses. However, these courses are not available in all federal states. It is particularly difficult for young people who live with their parents in remote basic care quarters to take part in courses during the asylum procedure.

Unaccompanied minor refugees (UMF) can attend German courses of 200 hours during the asylum procedure.

Asylum seekers and persons granted subsidiary protection between the ages of 15 and 18 are subject to compulsory education after completion of compulsory schooling (9 years). This means that they must either attend a secondary school or complete an apprenticeship.

In addition, within the framework of the Vienna Training Guarantee there is inter-company apprenticeship training for those who cannot find an apprenticeship in a company. Information on this can be obtained from the Vienna Training to 18 Coordination Office, which is the central information hub in Vienna for all questions relating to training to 18.

Further information is available at www.kost-wien.at, by phone (01/342 707-2754) or email (office@kost-wien.at).

Source (June 2019): https://www.refugees.wien/infos-fuer-fluechtlinge/arbeiten

The Ministry of Education responded to the resulting challenges in summer 2015 with the circular „Refugee children and young people at Austrian schools“ and the establishment of transitional classes.

The following websites provide an overview of the Austrian education system:

www.bildungssystem.at
https://bildung.bmbwf.gv.at/schulen/bw/index.html
https://www.migration.gv.at/de/leben-und-arbeiten-in-oesterreich/kinder-und-bildung/bildungssystem

Source (June 2019): https://www.asyl.at/de/themen/bildung

Educational counselling and initiatives

Caritas offers educational counselling and information on the following topics:

• School, university and other educational opportunities
• Obtaining a school-leaving certificate (compulsory school-leaving courses)
• Secondary schools (up to the Matura)
• Studies at public universities and technical colleges
• Recognition/nostrification assistance for professions and training from the country of origin
• Apprenticeships in different professions
• Labour market situation of various professions
• Clarification of funding opportunities

CarBiz – Caritas Education Centre
Kempelengasse 1/4. OG
1100 Vienna
Phone: 01 406 10 37

Counselling centre for migrants
Provides counselling and support for foreign workers and their family members as well as vocational and educational counselling for those entitled to asylum.

As already mentioned, educational opportunities and access vary depending on the federal states and the urban or rural whereabouts of the refugees. The following education and counselling centres in Vienna should be mentioned here:

Educational offers Vienna – Integration from day 1
As part of the „Integration from Day 1“ programme, the City of Vienna gives refugees the opportunity to receive initial and further training during the asylum procedure. The central contact point for education is the Vienna Education Hub of the Vienna Training and Further Education Centre.

Vienna education hub
Target audience: persons who are in the process of being granted asylum under the Vienna universal service and who have reached the age of 15 (end of compulsory schooling).

Access
Educational measures supported by the Vienna Refugee Aid can only be booked through the Vienna Educational Hub.

• Persons living privately arrange an appointment by e-mail or come personally to the Vienna Educational Hub.
• For persons living in supervised accommodation, the responsible supervisors make an appointment at the Vienna Education Hub.

Offer of the Vienna Educational Hub

• Individual educational counselling and individual educational coaching in several languages
• language clearing
• Survey and documentation of competencies
• Mediation of suitable educational offers, e.g. German courses and basic education offers or to the Youth College
• Documentation of training needs

Vienna as a hub of education
Graumanngasse 7, staircase B, 5th floor, 1150 Vienna
Email: bildungsdrehscheibe@awz-wien.at
Phone: 01 891 34-60382
Opening hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-16:00 Uhr

Start Vienna – Info modules of the MA 17
Start Wien“ information modules on important topics such as health, education, housing, social affairs and living together as well as the Vienna Charter Workshop in several languages are available for asylum seekers, persons entitled to asylum and persons granted subsidiary protection. They impart orientation knowledge and initial information about Austrian society and democracy in the respective mother tongue.

Access to „Start Wien – Das Jugendcollege“ for asylum seekers and beneficiaries of subsidiary protection is granted after clarification with the Vienna Labour Market Service (AMS). Further information can be found at www.startwien.at/de/asyl.

Start Vienna – The Youth College
As an asylum seeker, entitled person or entitled person or subsidiary entitled person/entitled person between 15 and 21 years you can visit „Start Wien – Das Jugendcollege“. For this you must be at least three months in the current asylum procedure. The Jugendcollege offers basic education as well as German courses. It is also possible to complete a formal education there.

Young asylum seekers reach the „education hub“ of the Fonds Soziales Wien (FSW) via their basic care institution. Persons staying privately can report directly to the education hub for an information meeting.

Source (June 2019): https://www.refugees.wien/infos-fuer-fluechtlinge/bildung