The funding programme was launched in 2012 to provide better labour market opportunities for persons with insufficient minimum qualifications and to promote their social integration. The legal basis is an Art.15a agreement under the Federal Constitutional Act.
According to estimates of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IHS) more than 243,000 people in Austria have a need for basic education, and more than 334,000 people have not successfully completed their compulsory education. The Adult Education Initiative provides free education in the basic skills for all young people and adults living in Austria, even if they are past school age.
Learners, regardless of their backgrounds and previous education, will benefit from high-quality and adult-oriented educational offers of professional education providers. The ongoing further development of the Adult Education Initiative results in a continuous improvement of the transparency of learning outcomes and connectivity with other educational measures (e.g. introduction of a curriculum for basic education in the autumn of 2019) as well as the professionalisation of trainers (e.g. qualifications profile for basic educators as of 2022).
Since 2012 6,700 basic education courses with 65,000 participants and 1,100 courses with 21,200 participants for completing compulsory education have taken place. Across Austria 54 education providers are currently involved in the implementation of this ambitious programme.
Author: Office of the Adult Education Initiative
Information: www.initiative-erwachsenenbildung.at