Strengthening VET in Austria – Assessing and Developing the WKO Skills Strategy

Launched in 2019, the Education Initiative (“Bildungsoffensive”) of the Austrian Economic Chambers (Wirtschaftskammern Österreich, WKO) aims to streng­then voca­tio­nal education and training in Austria and to make it more future-oriented, with a par­ti­cu­lar focus on digi­ta­li­sa­ti­on. It comprises six core fields of action and a wide range of imple­men­ta­ti­on measures, ranging from large-scale pro­gram­mes to targeted support services for individuals.

The study conducted by 3s evaluates the imple­men­ta­ti­on and impact of the Education Initiative to date and provides a basis for its strategic further deve­lo­p­ment. The eva­lua­ti­on is based on a secondary analysis of the impact reports from 2020 to 2024 as well as internal project docu­men­ta­ti­on. In addition, imple­men­ta­ti­on actors within the WKO are inter­view­ed, and in-depth back­ground dis­cus­sions are held with repre­sen­ta­ti­ves of the Education Policy Department. An eva­lua­ti­on framework aligned with inter­na­tio­nal standards is developed for this purpose. The assess­ment is conducted along the criteria of relevance, coherence, effec­ti­ve­ness, effi­ci­en­cy of resource use, as well as impact and sus­taina­bi­li­ty perspectives.

Furthermore, two case studies are carried out on selected topics: Eva Steinheimer examines the field of Higher VET in Austria, while Daniel Unterweger analyses the nati­on­wi­de programme “Dual Academy”. Monika Auzinger par­ti­ci­pa­tes as an expert on vali­da­ti­on in a co-creation workshop preparing the future WKO Education Initiative.