In total, more than 870,000 people aged 25 to 64 in Austria have at most one compulsory education, almost 400,000 of them are under 45 years old. If we qualify half of the under 45 year olds or a quarter of the 25 to 64 year olds to the level of an apprenticeship certificate, the future demand for skilled workers can be approximately covered.
Almost 16 percent of the 25- to 29-year-old population have at most a compulsory school leaving certificate. This proportion is also falling much too slowly over time. While there is a sharper decline among women, the proportion of low-skilled men is even increasing. In the 25 to 64 age group as a whole, the picture of change is the same: since 2011, the proportion of men who have at most a compulsory school leaving certificate has increased by 1 percent, while the proportion of women has fallen by 4 percent.
A failure of education policy from two points of view:
The school system is failing, many young people leave the education system far too early!
In contrast to the general trend in EU countries, the proportion of young people who leave the education system early is increasing in Austria. In recent years, many measures have been aimed at the group of 15 to 18 year olds, such as compulsory training up to the age of 18. However, numerous studies show that these measures do not go far enough because the existing problems are still virulent afterwards. Both at Percentage of NEET youth (Not in Education, Employment or Training, aged 15 to 24) as well as early school and training dropouts (18 to 24 years old), Austria is below the average of all EU countries, but the dynamics of development are negative: while the NEET rate is declining in other EU countries, it is increasing in Austria.
Those people after compulsory schooling no further education will only be employed for around two months a year on average within the next 18 months. The risk of becoming unemployed is very high: In Austria, 64.3 percent (women: 53.1 percent; men: 76.0 percent) of those who completed their training after compulsory school are registered with the AMS.
The consequences for these young people are serious. Fragile employment biographies are mapped out, along with low income. The unemployment rate of people who have at most a compulsory school leaving certificate has consistently been over 20 percent in the past 10 years; it is currently (January 2023) at 22.8 percent, more than three times as high as the overall average. Younger workers and older workers in the last quarter of their working life are particularly affected by unemployment. If you look at the number of unemployed in Austria, this also becomes visible: 45 percent (January 2023) have at most a compulsory school leaving certificate and 33 percent have an apprenticeship certificate. The group of apprenticeship graduates also includes many people who no longer have occupational protection because they have not been working in their apprenticeship for a long time and were available to the labor market as assistants. For them, too, this only becomes a problem in the last ten years of their working life Unemployment increases from the middle of the fifth decade of life leaps and bounds.
There is no part-time public education system!
It is not possible to train young people with a low level of formal education while working. The instruments for in-service qualification are often lacking here. Of course, there are opportunities to gain further qualifications in working life with the skilled worker grant, educational leave or part-time training. However, these are all based on individual initiative and require either giving up employment (skilled worker grant) or the employer’s consent to further training. For many people, especially if there are also family obligations, these opportunities do not represent a basis for securing their livelihood.
Im international comparison With 11.7 percent, Austria is almost exactly in line with the average for the EU countries (11.4 percent) in terms of participation in further training, but is well behind the top (Sweden 28.6 percent, Finland 27.3 percent).
Above all, however, it is clear that all models based on private initiative cannot reach those people who have disadvantages, who are responsible for a short educational career and problems on the labor market. The Participation in education according to educational level speaks a clear language. With 4.5 percent participation in further vocational training in the group of compulsory school students, this proportion is only about a quarter of the further training participation of university graduates with 18 percent.
Qualifying people with a low level of formal education requires access models based on skills rather than deficits. There are examples of this, e.g. B. with the recognition model for competences “You can do something”. In the meantime, non-formally and informally acquired skills are credited towards a vocational qualification in 25 professions. This turning away from deficit perspectives and the promotion of existing skills has a positive influence on the self-image of the persons concerned and contributes to increasing (learning) motivation.
Rethinking the education system – an urgently needed effort
In today’s society, education must be seen as a public responsibility that encompasses the entire life cycle of people. The previous strategy for lifelong learning, which is based on voluntariness and private initiative, is not sufficient. Above all, this means that a public adult education system must be established as the 4th pillar in the education system, which, in addition to sufficient educational opportunities, provides people with education time and an income that secures their living. It is essential to see the preventive character on an individual level (avoidance of fragile employment careers) as well as the overall economic prosperity gain from higher income and avoided costs in the social security systems.
Rethinking the education system naturally also includes the school system, with a wide range of urgent needs for renewal, because a lack of social permeability and a lack of support are increasingly delegating the responsibility for school success to parents – a withdrawal of responsibility from the state, combined with high follow-up costs in the repair systems for young people people after compulsory schooling.