**4.2 Institutional configuration of VET system in Austria**

Austria is a parliamentary republic consisting of nine federal provinces. There is an Education Ministry that, together with federal governments, takes care of the matters of education. The contemporary act that regulates the company-based part of apprenticeship training is called the Vocational Training Act. According to this act, the cooperation between the authorities and the institutions involved in educational training is the responsibility of the Federal Ministry of Science, Research, and Economy. This Ministry also issues the training regulations for apprenticeship occupations, after the evaluation that is done by the Federal Advisory Board on Apprenticeship, also with the involvement of social partners. This is also how the syllabuses are being created, for every specific profession. At the level of federal provinces, they are being converted into a specific curriculum. Contemporary regulations regarding the organization of VET schools can be found in the School Organization Act [9].

The administration of schools and the organization of curriculum are the responsibility of the federal provinces, which means that the governments of the respective provinces are responsible for co-financing teachers, equipping schools, and implementing of the core syllabuses of the Federal Government. There are also apprenticeship offices that are situated in every Economic chamber of the province. Checking

the suitability of the training company, making records of apprenticeship contracts, and dealing with the examinations of apprentices are some of the most important tasks of these offices. There are also authorized apprenticeship trainers, who are responsible for company-based trainings in cooperation with the VET schools [17].

According to contemporary the law, VETs should prepare young people to carry out professional activities, and the competences that are required for these activities should be taught in these programs, which should correspond with the "curriculum" of the company. School-taught occupations, however, are not connected so much to the specific professions but are rather educating people for the occupational fields. There is also some criticism regarding the VET system in Austria, stating that some apprenticeship trainings may be too narrow to provide an adequate foundation for a career.

In Austria, a dual system is also the option that was chosen as the most suitable one, when it comes to VET. Because of that, apprenticeship trainings are mostly carried out in companies and, partly, in vocational schools. The amount of time that is being spent in the company is also much longer than the amount of time spent at the vocational school. The companies are the ones that are financing the company part of training. However, there are many possibilities for a company to get a public subsidy, which can then cover mostly all expenses of apprentice training.

After the compulsory nine years of education, there is a possibility to take part in VET in Austria. Usually, a contract between a company and an apprentice has to be concluded, and some of the contents regulated by law are to be included. The duration of the training may vary, but it usually lasts from 2 to 4 years. Most of the trainings usually last 3 years. There is obligatory attendance at school that usually takes place once or twice a week, but it can also be organized as block classes, that are being taught once every few weeks, during a longer period of time. Other days of the week are usually spent in a company [18].

At the end of an apprenticeship training, there is always a final exam, in order to determine whether or not the candidate has required skills and knowledge for practicing the profession that they were trained for. The exam consists of two parts, one being theoretical and the other being practical. Practical exam consists of written tasks that are more practice-oriented and of an oral interview. It is regulated by a general law, describing the exam committee, procedure, and the determination of the result. There are also specific laws for different kinds of professions that are regulating the nature of the exam [9].

Once the apprenticeship training in Austria is done, it allows one to take part in a number of schooling activities and higher vocational and tertiary-level programs, such as master and qualifying exams, part-time industrial master colleges, and colleges of advanced vocational studies and specialist academies.

A special type of VET education in Austria is VET colleges. Education in these colleges usually lasts five years, which is longer than education in other schools. After five years, education leads to the double qualification of a VET diploma and an academic baccalaureate, which offers general access to higher education or the possibility to practice higher-level occupations. VET colleges cover six major fields: engineering, arts and crafts, business administration, management and service industries, fashion and design, agriculture and forestry, and tourism. There is a possibility for those who take training at VET Colleges of Engineering, Arts and Crafts and Agriculture and Forestry, to apply for the official "Engineer" title at the responsible ministry. These titles enjoy a great amount of popularity at the labor market and offer more

possibilities for people holding them. Completion rates in upper-secondary education are very high by international standards [9].

It is important to highlight that Austria is a part of the European Qualifications Framework, established in order to keep educational systems more transparent and to allow one to transfer its own degree to other school systems inside Europe. Austria also has its own National Qualifications Framework, based on an eight-level structure, keeping education standardized [10].
