Glossary

Add-on courses

for graduates of secondary technical and vocational schools lead to the "Reifeprüfung"- and TVE-Exam of the respective technical and vocational college.

Admission requirements

admission to technical and vocational schools and colleges is conditional upon the successful completion of grade 8 (or 9) for graduates of the lower level of secondary academic schools and of a positive assessment in the subjects German, mathematics and modern foreign language for graduates of lower secondary schools respectively.

Apprenticeship Leave Exam

is divided into a practical and theoretical part and consists of a written and an oral exam which may be taken at the end of apprenticeship training and is held before a committee of employee and employer representatives.

Apprenticeship trade/apprenticeship training see dual system

Autonomy

provides schools and colleges with the opportunity to develop their own profiles and specific priorities, thus meeting the needs and requirements of the industry (deviation from the standard curriculum of up to 5 per cent of the overall number of lessons per week).

CEDEFOP

European Centre for the Development of Vocational Training assists the European Commission in the promotion and further development of vocational education at European level. Focus: documentation, research and information.

Centre for Business Administration

special classroom of some 95 m2 designed as open-plan office and provided with all modern office, information and communication equipment; used for the running of training firms.

Centre for Career-related Languages

by means of co-operating with international institutions this centre provides students of secondary technical and vocational schools and colleges with the opportunity to take internationally recognized foreign language exams.

Classification of schools

according to educational contents into schools providing general education, technical and vocational schools and colleges and post-secondary colleges for the training of teachers and non-teaching supervisory staff.

according to educational level into elementary schools (years 1 to 4 of primary and special needs schools) and secondary schools (upper-primary and special needs schools, lower secondary schools, pre-vocational year, part-time vocational schools for apprentices, secondary technical and vocational schools and colleges, post-secondary colleges, in-service teacher training colleges).

Completion of compulsory education

compulsory education ends with the successful completion of grade 9.

Compulsory education

lasts for nine years and starts on the first of September following a child's sixth birthday. It applies to all children permanently resident in Austria irrespective of their nationality.

Compulsory schools

compulsory schools providing for general education (primary, lower secondary, special needs schools and the pre-vocational year) and vocational compulsory schools (i.e. part-time vocational schools for apprentices).

Compulsory work placements

lasting for 4 to 32 weeks and corresponding to the respective educational objectives of the individual school types have to be served in the industry during the summer vacation period.

Curricula

define overall educational objectives as well as the more specific educational objectives of the individual subjects as well as the principles of didactics, the subject matter, the subject matter dealt with in the individual grades (if necessary and with regard to the educational objective of the respective school type), transfer possibilities, overall number of teaching units and teaching units for the individual subjects (taking into account school autonomy), compulsory subjects and compulsory electives as well as other assessed and non-assessed options and voluntary subjects.

Diploma Exam

final exam taken at post-secondary courses or post-secondary colleges for social work; forms part of the final exam at technical and vocational colleges ("Reifeprüfung"-Certificate and TVE-Diploma).

Dual system

apprenticeship training takes place in companies (apprenticeship training agreement) and in part-time vocational schools for apprentices (lasting 2 to 4 years; usually, however, 3 years); Apprenticeship Leave Exam.

Educational counsellors

are specially trained teachers at secondary technical and vocational schools and colleges who provide for information and assistance in school and vocational matters.

ETF – European Training Foundation

EU agency which co-ordinates EU training programmes for the new democracies and the successor states to the former Soviet Union.

EU educational and mobility programmes

provide for opportunities to get to know other European countries and cultures, to improve language skills and to exchange ideas and experiences at European level.

"Fachhochschul"-courses

provide for high-quality professional and academic training for specific occupational fields (lasting 6 to 8 semesters). Admission requirements: standard entry qualifications for university or work experience in the respective field, conferment of an academic degree.

Federal Ministry of Education, Science and Culture

supreme administrative authority for all elementary and secondary schools, the post-secondary colleges for teacher training and for the training of vocational teachers as well as for in-service teacher training colleges and the sector of school-based education and training within the field of adult education; responsible for the setting up and maintaining of state-run schools (save schools and colleges for agriculture and forestry).

Field of specialization

at secondary technical and vocational schools and colleges: autonomously chosen field leading to vocational specialization.

Final exam

taken at three to four years lasting secondary technical and vocational schools qualifies for immediate exercise of the respective occupation and provides access to legally recognized occupations.

Foremen courses

offer advanced job-related theoretical education for people who have completed initial training in the industrial and trade sector; courses last for four years and end with a final exam held before a committee which qualifies graduates to train apprentices and to become self-employed after having worked in the respective field for four years.

Further education of teachers

provided by special state-run institutions (in-service teacher training colleges), teachers are obliged to continue their education.

General compulsory schools

comprise primary schools (grades 1 to 4), lower secondary schools and the lower level of secondary academic schools (grades 5 to 8) as well as special needs schools (for children in need of special attention, grades 1 to 8) and the pre-vocational year (grade 9).

Higher Education Entrance Exam

provides people not holding standard entry qualifications for university with access to the relevant course of studies.

In-service teacher training colleges

are responsible for the further education/training of teachers and are established in all federal provinces (10 colleges for the TVE-sector).

Legally recognized and non-legally recognized occupations

access to legally recognized occupations is subject to legal provisions (e.g. Trade Regulations) while access to non-legally recognized occupations is free.

Lower secondary schools

4-year course (grades 5 to 8) upon completion of primary school, provides pupils with basic general education and prepares them for working life or for transfer to upper-secondary schools.

Master craftsmen courses

for people with completed initial training; special type of advanced training for certain trades and crafts (aptitude tests are required for crafts courses).

Occupational title

legally protected title conferred upon completion of the relevant vocational education/work experience, e.g. "Qualified Social Worker".

Part-time vocational school for apprentices

compulsory vocational school complementing company-based training of apprentices and providing for theoretical and general education, part-time vocational schools take on different organizational forms.

Post-secondary colleges for teacher training

train teachers for primary, lower secondary and special needs schools as well as for the pre-vocational year.

Post-secondary colleges for the training of vocational teachers

train teachers for part-time vocational schools for apprentices, for the specialized subjects at schools and colleges for engineering, for the teaching of dietetics and home economics as well as for instruction in word processing at secondary technical and vocational schools and colleges.

Post-secondary courses

for students holding a "Reifeprüfung"-Certificate, a TVE-Diploma or a Higher Education Entrance Exam; provide students with the practical and theoretical education of a secondary technical and vocational college and end with a diploma exam. 4-semester initial vocational training.

Pre-vocational year

vocation-oriented ninth year of schooling.

Recognition within the EU

in compliance with the EU directive 95/43/EC of 20 July 1995 (92/51/EEC as amended by 94/43/EC, Annex D) qualifications provided by technical and vocational colleges and their special types enjoy parity of esteem with qualifications acquired through post-secondary vocational training in other EU Member States.

Regional Education Board

education authority of the federal government within the individual provinces; execution of laws and supervision of schools and colleges.

"Reifeprüfung"- and TVE-Exam

final exam at technical and vocational colleges: double qualification including standard entry qualifications for university and vocational qualifications necessary for the exercise of white-collar jobs.

"Reifeprüfung"-Exam

final exam at secondary academic schools which provides students with standard entry qualifications for university.

Schools for people under employment

most secondary technical and vocational schools and colleges are also run as schools for people under employment (evening classes).

Secondary academic schools

provide for comprehensive and extensive general education and are divided into a lower level (secondary level I, grades 5 to 8) and an upper level (secondary level II, grades 9 to 12); they end with a "Reifeprüfung"-Exam which provides access to higher education. From grade 7 onwards these schools offer different fields of specialization (classical secondary academic school, secondary academic school emphasizing mathematics and science, secondary academic school emphasizing economics).

Secondary technical and vocational schools

provide for vocational qualifications and general education (1- to 4-year courses) and end with a final exam. Further qualifications may for instance be acquired by doing the TVE-Exam or add-on courses.

Standard entry qualifications for university

are acquired by taking the "Reifeprüfung"-Exam, the "Reifeprüfung"- and TVE-Exam or the Diploma Exam and give access to universities, colleges, post-secondary colleges, "Fachhochschul"-courses and post-secondary courses. Depending on the respective educational background and on the course of studies additional qualifications or aptitude tests my be required.

Technical and vocational colleges

provide for sound general education and high-quality vocational training (5 year courses) and end with the "Reifeprüfung"- and TVE-Exam (double qualification). Students are provided with standard entry qualifications for university and – in line with the field of specialization – vocational qualifications.

Technical and vocational education

comprises part-time vocational schools, secondary technical and vocational schools and colleges, schools and colleges for people under employment and post-secondary courses as well as pilot projects and post-secondary colleges for social work.

Trade Regulations

federal legislation concerning legally recognized trades, regulates access to these trades and crafts.

Training firms

are mock-ups of real enterprises with external relations which are designed to provide students with an insight into other economic cultures and operational procedures; secondary schools for business and colleges for business administration are required, and all other technical and vocational schools and colleges providing for business education are recommended, to set up training firms.

Tree-like structure

in year one and two (grades 10 and 11) all courses of related fields share the same curriculum, from then onwards the courses separate into various branches (sharing a core curriculum of 50 per cent).

TVE-Exam

provides graduates of the dual system, of at least three years lasting technical and vocational schools, of schools for auxiliary nursing and of schools for the training of para-medical staff with standard entry qualifications for university.

Vocational Training Act

legal framework for company-based training of apprentices. Some regulations of the Vocational Training Act also affect technical and vocational schools and colleges.

Work experience in the respective field

refers to work experience which provides individuals with skills and qualifications necessary for self-employment in the relevant trade

Geändert am 23.02.2007

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