Call for More Places at HTL, HAK and Co

In Austria, most young people attend a vocational school after middle school or lower secondary school (AHS-Unterstufe). Between 1973 and 2023, the number of students at vocational middle and higher schools (BMHS) has almost doubled to 182,000, with 40 percent of classes having 30 or more young people. The BMHS are at their limit, and the need for space is expected to increase further in the future, warns the Chamber of Labor. It calls for a rapid expansion of HTL, HAK, and similar institutions.

Criticism from the Chamber of Labor

Although, according to forecasts by Statistics Austria, an increase of another 17,000 students is expected at the BMHS by 2033, the current school construction program SCHEP from 2020 focuses on upper secondary schools (AHS-Oberstufen), criticized the Chamber of Labor to the APA. Meanwhile, the number of students in upper secondary schools has only slightly increased compared to the BMHS (from 66,000 to 86,000, excluding AHS for working individuals), with only 7,000 more students expected to join in the future.

In the SCHEP decided by the previous black-green government, only 13 new or replacement buildings for BMHS are planned by 2030, and about twice as many for gymnasiums, criticized the Chamber of Labor. Also, two-thirds of school expansions concern gymnasiums. However, the target group of the AHS, with ten to 18-year-olds, is significantly larger than that of the BMHS, where young people can complete an education with a combination of vocational and general education from the age of 14 in one to five years.

Chamber of Labor for "Update"

In view of the numbers, the Chamber of Labor urgently calls for an "update" of the school development plan, otherwise vocational schools will have to reject many young people due to lack of space. The BMHS have significantly contributed to the educational expansion in the past 50 years and promoted social advancement, said Daniel Schönherr, education expert at AK Vienna. "Especially in light of the increasing shortage of skilled workers in technical, social, and some service professions, investment in these schools is necessary now." In addition to commercial academies (HAK), higher technical colleges (HTL), human vocational schools, and educational institutions for elementary education (BAfEP), where one graduates with vocational training plus a high school diploma, the BMHS also include vocational or commercial schools, where vocational training is combined with general education.

In their government program, the ÖVP, SPÖ, and NEOS have already agreed on an immediate "realignment" of the SCHEP, among other things, with regard to the need for skilled workers. In addition to more school places, the Chamber of Labor also demands additional part-time training places, monitoring of the actual availability of school places and rejections, initiatives for sufficient teaching staff, and new models that allow students to catch up on basic skills at the beginning of the BMHS. This could at least alleviate the "massive investment backlog" caused by too few apprenticeship trainings by companies.

(APA/Red)

This article has been automatically translated, read the original article here.