Basic Information

Legal Situation

Besides school and university education, adult education serves as a third pillar in the Austrian education system.

Contrary to school and university education, there is no constitutional law regulating adult education. The only federal law concerning adult education is the 1973 "Law for Promotional Measures" [Erwachsenenbildungs-Förderungsgesetz] which regulates financial support of adult education and public libraries.

Apart from providing support to adult education institutions – a task which rests with the department responsible for adult education in the Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture – the "Law for Promotional Measures" also contains provisions on the maintenance and management of Federal Centres for the Promotion of Adult Education [Förderungsstellen des Bundes für Erwachsenenbildung] within the individual provinces.

Objectives

• The general adult education sector offers a variety of different programmes and courses such as health and leisure time programmes, courses on personality development and cultural education as well as foreign language courses. Moreover, it also organizes socio-political events.
• Adult education also provides for the improvement of vocational qualifications, the acquiring of key qualifications, instruction in the use of new technologies and for the promotion of social and communication skills.
• The second educational pathway provides adults with the opportunity to take school-leaving and other certificates at a later point in their lives (schools for people under employment, Higher Education Entrance Exam, external exams, TVE-Diploma).

Adult education furthermore aims at offering people of all ages the opportunity to organize their lives autonomously and independently and to reach fulfilment.

These aims need to be realized so that adult education and further vocational training may meet the demands of the 21st century and of the rapidly changing world of work.

Providers of Adult Education

Courses and programmes of adult education are offered by the following providers:

Schools for employed persons, Public Employment Service, the Austrian Conference of Adult Education Institutions, interest groups, private providers and enterprises.

The most important providers of further vocational training are the adult education institutions of the social partners, i.e. the Vocational Training Institute [Berufsförderungsinstitut] and the Institute for Economic Development [Wirtschaftsförderungsinstitut].

Geändert am 23.02.2007