
As the third country to host this conference, Austria is building upon the previous work carried out by Estonia and Bulgaria on this issue. The objective is to further develop a common European vision of a viable, future-oriented and attractive vocational education for the 21st century.
In this regard, Austria is considered to be a “good practice” example. The country boasts a well-developed and differentiated vocational education system based on the dual education principle combining school and practical occupational training and encompassing vocational secondary schools and colleges. More than 70 percent of pupils in the 15-19 age group choose a vocational education in Austria. The aim of political decision makers is to support this change, modernize existing job profiles and create new apprenticeship occupations, said Margarete Schramböck, Federal Minister for Digital and Economic Affairs, at the conference.