The new school year has begun in Vienna, including for students aiming straight for vocational training and apprenticeships. But the outlook on the apprenticeship market is far from bright. There are now about ten times as many young people searching for apprenticeships as there are open positions, creating a tight and competitive landscape for school leavers, according to ORF News.
The Public Employment Service (AMS) reports that the number of available apprenticeships is shrinking and is urging companies to create more training places. According to Andreas Kuen of the AMS, speaking to “Wien heute” on Sunday, only around 500 apprenticeships are currently open, while roughly 5,000 young people are registered as seeking one. For many teenagers, this gap between demand and supply means months of uncertainty after graduation.
Austria offers more than 200 different apprenticeship trades, yet the path to securing a place has become increasingly difficult. The Vienna Chamber of Commerce tells ORF Wien that requirements across all trades have risen sharply in recent years, making it harder for businesses to find suitable candidates. Employers say they are looking for stronger basic skills, better German, and more reliability, while young applicants often struggle to meet these higher bars.
At the Polytechnic and Secondary Vocational School on Maiselgasse in Vienna’s third district, around 300 pupils are completing their final year of compulsory education. Most plan to start an apprenticeship afterwards. Here, career orientation is a standard part of the curriculum, and the school’s director has introduced youth coaches who visit students several times a week to guide them through applications and interviews. “We place about 60 percent of our pupils directly into the primary labour market, meaning they start an apprenticeship immediately. Around 20 percent continue on to further schooling,” says principal Irene Ditrich.
For the remaining 20 percent who are still unsure what to do after compulsory school, the AMS Service Centre for Under 25s (U25) in Vienna is the go to address for career guidance. These days, the centre is busy with young people hunting for apprenticeships. According to the AMS, most current openings are in retail, gastronomy, and installation and heating technology, sectors that continue to look for motivated trainees despite the overall shortage of places.
