What benefits does Education until 18 provide for young people?
Today’s requirements in the labour market for young people are continuously increasing. The risk of becoming unemployed is much higher for people who have only attended compulsory school compared with people who have completed a post-compulsory education.
With Education until 18, the Federal Government aims to prepare young people even better for future requirements. The Act prescribing the duty to complete an education as the core of the initiative Education until 18 applies since 2017.
Parents have a significant influence on the future life of their children
Time and again, young people drop out of school or fail to complete an apprenticeship, take on some unskilled job or withdraw completely from school, education and the labour market. This is were you, as the parents, have a special responsibility. Do your part to help ensure that your child will enjoy a good education and pave the way for a good future for your child!
Education until 18 guarantees that your child will receive support. Where young people are at a risk of dropping out of school or not finishing an education, they will receive assistance from the youth coaching. In addition, a pathway and support plan tailored to the needs of your child will be developed.
Obligations of the parents
Your most important contribution to Education until 18 is to make your child more aware of the value of an education. Encourage him or her to attend a secondary school or complete a post-compulsory education!
To identify any problems as early as possible, you as the parents are required to report your child if he or she has not attended any school or education measure in three months. Contact the coordinating office as early as possible!
This reporting duty came into effect on 1st July 2017.
Does my child fulfil the duty to complete an education?
Your child fulfils the duty to complete an education if he or she attends one of the following offers:
- School
- Vocational training, such as an apprenticeship, industry-wide training program, partial qualification
- Preparatory measures for completing further education
- Positively completing compulsory education
- Labour market programs
- Offers earmarked for young people in need of assistance
- Pursuing an employment as provided for under a pathway or support plan.
The following groups are temporarily exempted from the duty to complete an education:
- Young people who receive childcare benefits. Nevertheless, youth coaching, AMS or the coordinating offices are available to young parents if they wish to plan their future education and career while on parental leave
- Young people participating in a voluntary social year, a voluntary environment protection year, a memorial, peace and social service abroad, or a voluntary integration year
- Young people participating in a European Voluntary Service
- Young people completing a military, training or civilian service
Penalties
You might be liable to a penalty should your child fail to fulfil the duty to complete an education.
However, a penalty will be imposed if you refuse any contact and reject the corresponding support offers. No penalty will be imposed in cases where no place is available at the desired school or for the desired apprenticeship at the time, or if a school or apprenticeship will only start upon expiry of the three months.
However, a penalty will be imposed if you have refused any contact and rejected the corresponding support offers.
You will be liable to pay 100 to 500 Euros for the first violation or respectively 200 to 1,000 Euros for repeated violations.
What happens after you have reported your child?
The coordinating office will contact you and your child. The youth coaching will then support you to find an offer that is suitable for your child.
Do you have any questions about Education until 18?
My child is an unskilled worker
Unskilled work is normally poorly paid and offers hardly any opportunities for career advancement and higher pay.
- if it is done in parallel to attending a school or a vocational training, or
- if it was explicitly specified in the pathway or support plan subject to a defined time limit.
Your child will still be allowed to take on odd jobs during vacation.
Support for your child
If the duty to complete an education is not fulfilled, a multiple stage process is implemented to help young people resume school or continue their education. This will be done with the support from the regional coordinating offices, the youth coaching and the AMS.
A personalised pathway or support plan is defined jointly with the young man or woman. It defines how the duty to complete an education can be fulfilled. This can then be done by e.g. attending a school, an apprenticeship, a post-compulsory education, a partial qualification or, if necessary, preparatory offers or positively completing compulsory education. The plan will focus on the interests and talents of your child!
The plan will focus on the interests and talents of the young people!
Concrete offers
The duty to complete an education may be fulfilled by any of the following:
Below is the official list containing the recognized offers and measures that your child may attend or successfully complete to fulfil his or her duty to complete an education:
Recognition of other offers and measures
Other offers may be recognized subject to the submission of a corresponding application by the parents. The decision will be made by the Social Service Office. The decision will depend on whether the offer or the work can improve the young person’s opportunities in the labour market.
Contact with the coordinating office
Should you have any specific or personal questions about Education until 18,
please write to us or call us!
0800 700 118
info@ausbildungbis18.at
toll-free from inside Austria
Education until 18 is an initiative of the Austrian Federal Government
