The Austrian Trade Union Federation (ÖGB) and the Chamber of Labour (AK) have together produced the first Austrian Apprenticeship Monitor: a national survey enabling young apprentices to assess their experiences at the end of their vocational training.
Some 6,459 young people in the last year of apprenticeship filled out an online questionnaire. Their replies were analysed by the Austrian Institute for Research on Vocational Training (ÖIBF).
Apprenticeships in metal technology, bricklaying, banking and carpentry were among those that got the thumbs up, whereas apprentices in retail, catering and hotel services and hair dressing were more critical.
Based on the results the ÖGB, AK and ÖGJ (Young Austrian Unionists) is calling for a number of improvements including better training for apprenticeship trainers, networking between companies and vocational schools, and quality management of apprentice training.